25 Days Of Christmas
by Smokestep
Summary: Collection of 25 short stories/flash fictions based on various Christmas or winter themes as your favorite blue hedgehog and the gang try to make it through the season. Happy holidays, everyone! [Day 25: Light]
1. Snow

**Snow**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in this story.

**C****haracter(s): **Sonic

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><p>It wasn't so much that Sonic <em>hated<em> snow . . . he just definitely could live _without_ it.

Being born in the tropical climate zone of South Island, he never grew up with snow, and after experiencing the rest of the world's harsher winter weather, he can't say that he missed it all those years either. He could admit it was nice to look at, if it hasn't been trampled on by cars, people, and animals alike; but, actually being in it, feeling it, touching it, _being submerged up to your torso in it_, is not so nice. Especially for someone like him.

With snow comes not only a much-colder temperature, but also a multitude of other pains he now had to deal with when running. His flow was disrupted, his movements uncoordinated as they became more sluggish and awkward with each stride. Subzero breezes constantly opposed him, challenging him with each powerful gust, serving to only slow him down and deplete his internal body heat till it matched the outside's temperature. And the cold impaled his throat and pierced right through both his lungs till he couldn't breathe.

Which is why whenever snowfall approaches, Sonic escapes to warmer climates where not a single snowflake is to be seen in order to get his usual workout; when he eventually returns back home, he promptly retreats to Tails' guest room, which Sonic had unintentionally taken over as his own. From that point, he buries himself in the bed in order to relieve his undeniable urge to sleep, another part of his life that's affected.

To be fair, his sleep schedule never really had been all that spectacular (considering he prefers many short power-naps throughout the day as opposed to your usual one long sleep session), but the seasonal change and climate just induced this unnatural desire onto him that forced his body to sleep for so much longer than what should be considered normal. And what is to blame? The snow, of course.

However, when Sonic is not preoccupied with his running routine or sleep hygiene, the snow is not so bad, or that's what his friends try to convince him of at least; they absolutely _adore_ the snow and all the activities one can't do without it. For instance, Cream enjoys practically every winter activity you can name: sledding, making snowmen and snow angels, etc. Tails also shares this same enthusiasm, though – like the rest of the gang – he vastly favors a snowball fight over pretty much everything else. And once it snows, he always makes sure to drag Sonic outside with him – whether said hedgehog wants to or not – to have a nice, clean (read: no holds barred) match.

This is the side of snow Sonic doesn't really mind; doesn't mean he likes it either, but his friends do, so there's not much he can really do. Besides, he could never really say no to a challenge.

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>I have nothing much to say, except for the fact that a lot (maybe about half or a little less than) of these chapters are Sonic-centric. The other characters do have their chance to shine, but there is quite an abundance of Sonic; but he _is_ my favorite character, and I have the most experience writing for him and Tails, so what can you expect?

Anyhow, hope you enjoyed this first chapter! If you have any critique or praise for me, you know where to leave it (and I truly do appreciate it).


	2. Music

**Music**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Shadow

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><p>Patience was never one of Shadow's strong suits; he can only handle so much exposure to whatever disrupts his peace before his tolerance threshold shatters, and his irritation makes itself known – often in quite a violent and aggressive manner. At which point, he will not hesitate to discard the nuisance at all costs, whether it be an object <em>or<em> a person. It doesn't help much that the black hedgehog's list for what he considered a "nuisance" was rather lengthy.

Surprisingly, Christmas would not be included in such a list, for he doesn't mind the holiday, and actually enjoys it for what it is. Of course, he thought its premise and festivities to be utterly pointless, but most – if not all – holidays are quite trivial in their own regards.

Still, there was something – a certain spark or atmosphere – that, as if by whim, made the holiday bearable for him. Even enjoyable.

And it's not like he actually partakes in the various activities encouraged (such as shopping, decorating, or anything of the sort). Barring the times he's been persuaded (read: forced by a blackmailing bat) to help Rouge with her holiday errands, or convinced to attend the party Faker and his friends set up, Shadow doesn't really subscribe to the whole "Christmas Spirit" thing on his own accord.

Taking all that into account, it's odd that he favors Christmas over the other holidays, though this preference probably did evolve from his time spent with Maria; to her, it was no contest on what the best holiday was, and he too acquired this notion. It was hard not to, for – even though she couldn't truly experience all that was Christmas – she celebrated the occasion for days on end, with the utmost enthusiasm. Out of every inhabitant aboard the ARK, Maria would always be the one to spread around the Christmas cheer, baking sweets almost every day, decorating an artificial tree designed by her grandfather with home-made ornaments and multi-colored lights, and giving heartfelt presents to all.

However, she sang _a _lot more than all those combined; it was due to her constant humming and whistling that Shadow now knew – off the top of his head – the lyrics to almost every Christmas song on the planet. Not that he minded; the songs grow on you, and he was fond of most of what she sang in her angelic voice.

Eventually, he began to sing along, and their duets would endlessly echo throughout the ARK, lightening up the empty and desolate environment, brightening up everyone's moods in turn. Maria welcomed the change with open arms; she had always said that no one seemed to experience genuine happiness upon the ARK, that they never experienced a true contentment befitting for the season. It was during those moments when she, herself, felt bliss unlike any other, an unbridled joy that would – for a fleeting second – fill in the small void that resulted after her departure from Earth.

Maria had always been cheerful (Shadow couldn't recall even one time when she wasn't the keen, enthusiastic girl he had come to know and love), but it was definitely uplifting to see her that lively; it triggered in him a contagious merriment that raised his spirits up to the point where he felt he could do anything.

And that's a sensation no other holiday can quite match up to, and is probably why Shadow still has a soft spot for all the cheesy songs relentlessly played literally _everywhere_. As long as Vector's not the singer, that is. Shadow felt that being subjected to his torturous voice screaming into a karaoke machine once was enough for a lifetime. _Seriously, who ever told him he could sing?!_

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>I personally prefer Snow to this chapter; regardless, I hope Music was an enjoyable read. If it was (or wasn't), I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me why in a review. And, as you can see below, I'll be responding to reviews here. Anyhow, see you tomorrow for the next installment!**  
><strong>

**Responses to Reviews**

_Christian Ape99_: Thank you, and glad you're enjoying it so far. Also, I've already written all the chapters, so I will not be using your characters; even so, I'm terrible at creating personalities from scratch, so that's probably a good thing.

_ShinyShiny9: _Thank you for such a thoughtful review! These are the type I always look forward to reading. And don't worry; I plan to be going all the way through to the end with this story. Anyhow, I'll keep your opinion in mind, and hopefully it will help me up the quality of the other chapters.


	3. Ice Skating

**Ice Skating**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Sonic and Amy

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><p>If there is ever one thing to <em>not <em>do in winter, it is to never, _never _let Amy Rose know you can't skate.

On Sonic's behalf, it was an accidental confession destined to slip out of a mouth too quick to talk. In the most inopportune of times, no less, and this case just so happened to take place during a rapidly-decided visit to said pink hedgehog.

Upon finding her humble abode vacant of any living beings, Sonic wandered off to the medium-sized lake conveniently near, knowledgeable of the fact that unlike himself, Amy possessed the skill to skate and rather _enjoyed_ the activity. Especially in its ice variation – since every other individual on this god-forsaken planet seemed to love water and being near it in any way possible.

Like he assumed, she was there, and honing her proficiency in the sport, ever-so-fluent with her carefully-precise jumps and turns. Her twirls were looking vastly improved from last time, Sonic noted. Back then, they were looking a tad clumsy, though her tricks were miles ahead of what _he_ could do on the ice. However, being the gentleman (or coward) he is, Sonic didn't mention this little fact, afraid of either being smashed by a giant red hammer or even dragged onto the ice himself. This time, he wasn't so tactful with his words, made obvious by his blatant mentioning of his inability to skate.

That's when Amy zoomed over, the sharp blades on her skates drilling a thin line through a surface he'd really rather not find himself on, a silent request quickly defeated as the other, more-talented hedgehog – at least when it comes to skating – grabbed his wrist and pulled him over before his reflexes kicked in.

Once Amy stranded him in the middle of the lake, they were freaking out on a frayed level of overdrive, a line not commonly crossed in Sonic's mind.

Add to that panicked thoughts of whether or not the ice would break under him, and that adds up to a stock-still, blue hedgehog attempting to turn into a statue. Not unlike most things in life, it was easier said than done. It also didn't help when Amy laughed at him every so often, sometimes skating backwards as well.

Ouch. Talk about adding insult to injury.

"You know, Sonic," she sang, her voice lathered in a coating of innocence and double-dipped in a fake tone of sweetness, "I could help you off the ice if you want." Sonic glared. He didn't know which was worse: the fact he was severely struggling to even maintain his slowly-toppling balance or the fact she could skate backwards while talking without breaking a sweat. This entire situation was so unfair! He didn't ask for this!

He was about to take Amy up on her offer – if only to get off the ice, and the freezing, below-zero water inevitably underneath – when she suddenly glided over to him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Of course, if I help you, you have to agree to –"

"Take you on a date, right?" Sonic interrupted, narrowing his eyes. He should have known this would have come to a bribe.

Amy smiled knowingly, and shook her head. "Actually, no; all I want to do is teach you how to ice skate." Sonic rolled his eyes, his mind not even registering the words before they tumbled out his mouth.

"Yeah, sorry, no can do." Amy shrugged, seemingly not bothered and turned around before starting away. "Hey, wh-where are you going?" Sonic stuttered, not sure if the cold weather or his own feelings of uprising panic caused the sudden snare in his throat. He preferred to believe it was the former.

His hand, its switch apparently set on self-automatic, moved up as if to reach for Amy's shoulder. Even if Sonic's mind didn't catch his slip-up, his gloved fingers wouldn't have found anything besides empty air to hold on to; Amy was already off the lake.

"I'm sorry, Sonic." Sonic's eyes narrowed, his face contorting into irritably; that tone just sounded _so _sincere. "But unless you want to stay out here all day freezing, you'll have to take some lessons, is all." Jade eyes softening ever-so-softly, she added, "It's not that bad, you know."

"Easy for you to say, Miss Figure Skater Extraordinaire," the blue hedgehog muttered, glancing at the thin, unstable surface separating him and the deadly – and, no doubt, _freezing_ – liquid below, attempting (and failing) to repress the shudder climbing up his spine.

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><p><strong>Responses to Reviews:<strong>

_ShinyShiny9_: Well, I wanted to put the line about Vector somewhere in there (it was, after all, what inspired the entire prompt), but it didn't feel natural anywhere else. Anyhow, I'll keep the tone in mind for other chapters. Thank you for the thoughtful input!


	4. Blizzard

**Blizzard**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Knuckles and Rouge

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><p><em>At least it's not Sonic, <em>Knuckles silently repeated to himself, almost incessantly, such that – every so often – this conviction sharply disrupted all his trains of thought, and constantly returned his primary attention back to his present situation. Even _with_ the endless repetition, he didn't know if he could really convince himself of this 'fact.'

Sure, most things would certainly, _undoubtedly_, be better to deal with than being stranded within the eye of a snowstorm, the only company provided being the most impatient, restless and reckless hedgehog on the planet. This statement is fact.

Knuckles wasn't sure, however, if it was worse than being stranded within the eye of a snowstorm, this time your only company being a constantly-thieving, irritatingly-flirty bat that got off on making his life more difficult than need be. Unlike the first claim, Knuckles actually needed time to think about this one.

_At least it's not Sonic._

And to make matters worse, he can't really do anything regarding this predicament. Unless he suddenly develops a spot-on control over the weather (one where he specializes in snow specifically) or this harsh blizzard dies down before too long, this goal is unattainable, and Rouge will relish every second of it. He would just – to put it simply – kick her off his island, and probably should, considering his role as the Master Emerald Guardian (because, if it wasn't obvious, knowingly keeping a thief around isn't that safe for what he's meant to be protecting).

But apparently – according to the rules of social grace, or whatever Rouge interprets them to mean – he can't do that either. So, for the time being, he'd have to grit his teeth and bear this continuous torment. And prepare himself for Rouge's distraction tactics; he learned his lesson after her last visit, and this time he _won't_ let himself leave his post as long as she was there. No matter what.

He could handle this; besides, if he looked on the bright side of the situation (regardless of the absence of the sun), he knew that there was one silver lining he could count on.

_At least it's not Sonic._

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><p>If anyone ever asked Rouge's opinion of Knuckles, they'd get one answer: "He needs to lighten up a bit; maybe then he wouldn't be such a bore to hang around." This sentiment still rings true, especially since it was nearing the Christmas season. You'd think this echidna could at least show a <em>little<em> cheer; it's always business with him, a mannerism also honed by none other than her G.U.N. partner, Shadow.

Nevertheless, they could both afford to loosen up; even now, after spending a few hours here on the island, the echidna still tensed his shoulders whenever she made the slightest movement, his violet eyes narrowing suspiciously _every single_ _time_. Usually, he was high-strung; heck, this trait just comes packaged in with his job. But he was never this jumpy, this _paranoid_.

She can't even have a pleasant conversation with him that lasted over two-minutes. At that point, he would derail their chat with a baseless accusation, and they would start at square one, again and again and _again_.

Rouge sighed, her eyes mindlessly staring off a distance as she pondered over Knuckles' strange behavior. _It's probably the snow . . . yeah, that sounds reasonable._

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>Sorry that this one came a little later; the next two might be a little, as well. But don't worry, there will be chapters published. Also, concerning the review responses, if I don't respond to yours, it's because I really have nothing to say. Even if I don't respond, all reviews are very much appreciated, especially ones that are more detailed. Anyhow, hope you enjoyed! See you at the next installment.

**Responses To Reviews:**

_Katiemonz: _Thank you; hopefully, I nailed the characterization in this chapter as well.

_Twin-books_: Thanks! It's been quite a while since I've wrote stories like this, so I'm hoping to get my momentum back; or maybe I already do? Eh, who knows?

_Christian Ape99: _Are you referring to Dingo from Sonic Underground?


	5. Santa

**Santa**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Sonic and Tails  
><strong>Character Notes: <strong>I personally prefer to have Sonic and Tails five years apart, rather than seven. It doesn't change much, but keep in mind that that's how i see their relationship whenever I write chapters concerning both of them.

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><p>Despite what one might think of Sonic, he's not just the quick and witty chatterbox everyone makes him out to be; Sonic thinks a lot more than he lets on. In fact, most of his ponderings never escape the confines of his own mind. And while his thoughts are usually random and have no connection with the ones they succeed, they typically possess some sort of meaning or insight, at least to him.<p>

This is one of those times. Apparently, watching Christmas movies – or this specific one – with Tails gets him in this inexplicable, sentimental mood as if his entire life were in playback, the images of his previous experiences acted out throughout the lens of his mind.

He wasn't even watching the TV screen anymore; well, he was, but he wasn't really looking _at _it, more like looking _through _it. As opposed to Tails – whose eyes have been glued to the screen since the beginning of the holiday film – Sonic's gaze found itself absentmindedly focusing on the wall behind it.

_This was the first Christmas movie we ever watched together, during that first winter that we spent together . . . _

Has it really been that long ago? Has it really been that long since they first sat down (in the same positions, no less) and watched this exact movie? Has anything changed, other than the fact that they were both now slightly older and wiser? It didn't feel like it.

Sonic himself didn't feel like he has changed whatsoever. He was still the same as he was back then: a blue hedgehog that felt like he could run to the ends of the earth and back, all day and night, and never get tired or bored, but would give all that up in a second if it meant making any one of his friends happy. Especially if that friend was the one sitting next to him right now.

Maybe that's who changed: Tails. Maybe Tails changed. He's definitely gotten smarter, his inventions growing ever more intricate and complicated than the last. Not only that, but he's also become more mature, more serious, his nature becoming ever more intense as Eggman's plots became more involved and the consequences for failing even more severe. And now, he's starting to grow ever more sarcastic and snarky, a trait influenced by – no doubt – _Sonic_.

Their relationship hasn't changed: they were still Sonic and Tails. Tails and Sonic. The dynamic duo that held a bond so unbreakable that not even age or maturity or (their) incompatible interests could ever sever. Even with this reassurance, Sonic's couldn't dispel the notion that something had changed, something he couldn't get his mind off it.

When they first watched this movie, Tails had acted so childlike and innocent, his boundless energy almost contagious as the two simply enjoyed the experience of watching the film. Tails still adored the movie now; Sonic could tell by his spirited grin and the way he leaned forward with anticipation.

However, unlike the Tails of the past, he was more analytical and perceptive, which made Sonic question one thing. _Does he still believe in Santa?_

The kit was still that: a kit. That's not all Tails was though; he was intelligent, his maturity beyond what is expected of his age. Surely, with all Tails knew, he had at least an inkling of a doubt that Sonic had told him the truth during that first Christmas, when the fox first inquired who Santa was.

Like most parents, Sonic lied and told him the old fabled tale: "Santa is a jolly, old man who gives presents to good girls and boys everywhere in the world with his team of reindeer on the night of Christmas Eve," and the like. The answer had been enough then to satisfy Tails' question and give him that naive hope that someone like Santa truly existed.

Now, in the present, Sonic wasn't sure whether that answer would still persuade Tails.

He wondered when this change occurred, or if it even did. Did Tails still believe that? Sonic doubted it; he wasn't sure what he preferred to believe at this point. Did he wish for Tails to still be that innocent little fox that he met that one fateful day? Or did he want Tails to grow up, and develop an independence that made the hedgehog near meaningless in the fox's life?

A part of him wanted to believe the former; Tails was still so young, and part of his childhood had been unrightfully ripped away from him. Heck, they both grew up too fast, both he and Tails, but Sonic could never revert back to the kid he used to be. Maybe that's way he so desired for Tails to be that way for as long as physically possible.

Even still, the other half of himself accepted his young friend's maturity; regardless of how _either _of them changed, he would still be his little brother, his closest friend and family. That was all the mattered, right?

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>Sorry this was so late, and tomorrow might be as well. However, if I see that a lot of people want the next chapter fast, I'll make sure to publish tomorrow's early. So, as always, hope you enjoyed!

**Responses To Reviews:**

_ShinyShiny9: _Yeah, their relationship is definitely interesting, all right.


	6. Vacation

**Vacation**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in the story.

**Character(s): **Dr. Eggman

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><p>Smiling narcissistically at the reflection mirrored on the orb-shaped ornament – his perfect figure only slightly distorted in the ruby red surface – Eggman dropped the bauble onto a flimsy branch located in the tree's lower regions, the measly, little twig trembling underneath the decoration's weight. Once pleased with this ornament's placement, the evil doctor turned around to pick up another decoration, humming a few festive songs under his breath, in a voice out-of-tone enough to match the irritating, obnoxious squealing of nails on a chalkboard.<p>

This was the first in quite some years that he actually decided to put up a Christmas tree; typically, at this point of year, Eggman would be plotting his next scheme, outlining and detailing all the steps that would carry him on the path to victory, and beyond that, to world domination! After everything was set, his primary and secondary strategies decided and following through the commencement process, he would look for the most opportune time to launch his plan, vainly hoping that neither that blue hedgehog _or_ any of his friends showed up to rain on his parade.

So far, this wishful thinking has not yet proven true, as – in more cases than not – Sonic arrived just in the nick of time to halt his progress and blow whatever robot he had conjured up to smithereens. Regardless of the location he focused on, or the diversity in his seasonal schemes, or the strength of his machines, that rodent always seem to be a few steps ahead of him (in all seasons, really). Always knowing where he was planning to attack, always figuring out – with the utmost ease – how to disable his robots, and never wasting a single chance to mock Eggman over his countless defeats.

This year, Eggman decided, would not be one ending in his failure, and Sonic's win; he refused to give the hedgehog that satisfaction of ending yet another year on a good note, all the while Eggman's ringing in a solemn, sour pitch that made every listener want to turn away and glue their ears shut.

And that's how the evil doctor ended up digging up the dusty, old Christmas tree that had been locked up in storage for who-knows-how-long. Surprisingly, he actually found the process of decorating the tree quite a calming one; he had complete creative freedom with this tree, able to render any image that he so desired. He had no barriers whatsoever, no overwhelming adversaries or hindrances stopping him from recreating whatever he deemed worthy of the great Eggman Christmas tree.

Soon, this would be the world. Soon, he would also paint in it the perfect image that he had dreamed of for so very long; and, when that point comes, Sonic won't be able to do a thing about it. Eggman will know his tricks by then, and he'll devise the perfect plan to stop that rodent right in his tracks. That will be the time when the Eggman Empire will reign supreme over all the world's nations, at which point everyone (especially those that once criticized him) will realize what a mistake they made in not electing him to become the world's dictat – oops, he meant sovereign ruler – sooner.

However, that can wait; after all, evil geniuses deserve a Christmas vacation, too. Besides, the world's domination will taste sweeter in spring anyway.

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>So this should be the last chapter for a while that will be published this late. I'm sorry for the inconvenient publishing times, but the schedule should now return to the normal times. If you wish to have the next installment published earlier, be sure to leave a review; each and every one make my day. Hope you liked this chapter!

**Response To Reviews: **

_ShinyShiny9: _You would be correct; "snarly" was meant to be snarky. Thanks for alerting me of that; it is now fixed and reads how I intended it to be. Anyhow, thank you – once again – for being so thorough in your reviews; they allow me a different perspective in order to improve, and I really appreciate that. Also, I'm glad I was able to make this story worthwhile; if you mind me asking, what pushed you to add it to your favorites?


	7. Card

**Card**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Sonic

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><p>There are some things in life that – no matter how difficult they may be, how risky they may be, or how little appreciation you receive for them – you feel in your soul, your entire being, an uncanny (almost supernatural) impulse to continue doing it. Regardless of all the consequences that result from it, or the hindrances you must overcome to even do it in the first place, you feel as if it's a part of you. And you realize that without it, you are incomplete.<p>

It's because of this principle that Sonic still – as others may say – 'plays' the hero. Everyone knows that this job he unintentionally stepped into was a dangerous move on his part. He knows that as well; he knew that the first time he fought against Eggman, then known as Dr. Robotnik, on South Island.

And, despite what some believe, his motivation for standing up against the evil doctor's tyranny was not exclusive to his thrill-seeking tendencies. Sonic will be the first to admit that he gets a kick out of taking down Eggman time and time again, but that doesn't mean that _that's _the entire reason for him doing so; it wasn't even his _primary _reason.

His main motivation for doing what he does, and doing what he did _back then_, is spelled out right here, in the form of a Christmas card. Like most, it gave an abundance of writing room on the inside so the sender could compose a message to the recipient. A trait the sender of this particular card took advantage of.

_Merry Christmas, Sonic!_

_I just wanted to thank you for all you do._

_You have saved and improved so many lives, unselfishly sacrificing your own life in the process._

_And the fact that you still continue to do this, even though you don't necessarily have to, is why I and so many other people admire you._

_I don't know if anyone ever tells you 'thank you,' but if they don't, just know that the world truly does appreciate what you do._

_I hope you have a good holiday! Take it easy for once; after all you've done, you deserve it!_

After first reading through the note, Sonic was awestruck, his vocal box fixed in a downright speechless state anyone rarely found him in. Rereading the message over and over again, a gentle smile spread across his face, growing as he fully realized the praise being projected through the note, from someone he didn't even know. From a random civilian that happened to think about him, after - surprisingly - finding out where to send the card, a task that probably took some time. The fact that someone out there went through so much trouble just to personally thank him or even take the time at all to care . . . it was touching, really.

_This _was why he does what he does. No, not because of the attention or praise (though it certainly doesn't hurt). But because he really, _truly_ cares about others.

From the beginning, he realized that the dream he wanted to accomplish before dying was to improve the world, and make it a better place for all to live in; as long as he could better at least one person's life, he could leave this world happy, fulfilled. He found that through helping others, he found his true place; he realized where he belonged.

Yeah, he may have enemies or critics, some that attempt to kill him and others that simply criticize him and what he does. He can't even begin to count how many dirty glances he's received when out in public or the number of the times someone has falsely accused him of going against Eggman just so he could have fame and fortune.

Even still, those don't matter to him, the looks or the allegations. The people do, even those that instigate the looks and allegations; the way people treat him _specifically_ doesn't represent what kind of individuals they are as a _whole_. It just shows what they think of _him_,and such opinions won't prevent Sonic from furthering his dream; regardless of the disapproval the public throws at him, he'll do what he thinks is right.

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>I really have nothing to say, but if _you_ do, you know where to click. If I see that a lot of people really want this story, I'll put up the next chapter earlier. Anyhow, hope you enjoyed this! Catch you next time!

**Responses to Reviews:**

_Christian Ape99: _Oh believe me, I'm trying.

_ShinyShiny9: _I can be quite unconventional with what I write; that last chapter, for instance, was just the result of an unorthodox burst of inspiration. Anyhow, thank you for your input; I hope to see what you think of this one.

_Twin-books: _Reasoning for how I got idea for last chapter in the first sentence in response above.

And actually, that sentence ("This year, Eggman decided, would not be one ending in his failure . . .") is not a typo, nor a mistake. One reason it's not is because I can rearrange the sentence and it would still have the same meaning (i.e. ". . . this year would not be one ending in his failure . . ."). Additionally, I wouldn't say ". . . **the** one . . ." because Eggman has had multiple years ending in failure, not just one, which is what the word "the" implies when placed there. Also, if I had put in "he," it would be ". . . this year **[he]** would not be one ending in his failure . . ." This way, I would be saying that Eggman, himself, ended in his own failure, when it was really the year that ended in failure. FYI, I never spent so much time talking about the structure of **one** sentence; congratulations.

Now that that's all over, thank you for your input for that chapter; I usually judge how much people want a story based on how many reviews I get. I'm not mad at those who don't review or forget to, but I really love reading the reviews people leave; they tell me where my writing stands, and I always appreciate the praise/criticism. I hope to see if you have either for this chapter.


	8. Hot Chocolate

**Hot Chocolate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Cream and Vanilla

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><p>During the winter, there happened to be many things Cream loved about the holidays: the snow, the presents, and overall jolly atmosphere that blanketed the world in a warm embrace to journey with them through the harsh, yet mystical weather.<p>

One thing she especially likes to do during this season was making hot chocolate. And drinking it, of course!

Cream herself could make it, but she much preferred her mother's; she had watched her make it many times, watched as her mother diced up the proper amount of chocolate and melted it as she added various flavorings that intensified the ending result's sweetness. Then, when all the chocolate's melted and reached standard temperature expected of hot chocolate, she would pour each of them a mug, and they would sip their hot chocolate while watching a Christmas movie of some sort.

Even now, throughout all the adventure's she's been on and thing's she's done, Cream can still readily admit that there was no sensation like the one you get from tasting her mother's home-made hot chocolate. She knew her friends really enjoyed it too; in winter, whenever any of them would stop by, they would always ask for a mug. Vanilla always took the request and prepared them a batch of it. And each time, they would say that it was the best hot chocolate they've ever had.

The combination of flavors her mother uses really helps, too; sometimes she'll add just a pinch of mint and/or cinnamon, mix it in with mini marshmallows, or top it off with a pile of whipped cream and a cherry. Other times, she'll implement other fruit flavorings into the drink. To Cream, it seemed that any combination her mother concocted tasted delicious, no matter what was in it.

She was glad for that, considering how much she loved drinking hot chocolate a lot in the winter; having the same exact hot chocolate each time would get tiring eventually. And it's not as if she can just stop drinking so much of it, either; during this season, you'd be hard-pressed to find anything as delectable or comforting as a mug of hot chocolate, especially one made by her mother.

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>So, so sorry for how late this is! I meant to put it up earlier, but something got in the way and . . . well, I should probably stop making promises, huh? Either way, tomorrow I'll try to be more punctual. Anyhow, if you enjoy this chapter, and have any praise/criticism for it, please share your opinions in the box below. Catch you tomorrow!

**Response To Reviews:**

_Christian Ape99: _Rush? *looks at time* Yeah, I don't think rushing it will be that much of a problem.

_Twin-books: _Well, you don't owe me an apology, since it wasn't all that serious, and it was all in good nature. Unless, of course, you were being sarcastic.

Now, in terms of that sentence ("He knew that the first time fought against Eggman, then known as Dr. Robotnik, on South Island"), you would be correct in the sense that placing another "he" before "fought" would make the sentence. Matter of fact, I'll go change it after putting up this chapter. The way I worded it was okay, but adding that extra "he" would make the sentence more clear in its meaning.

About who wrote the card, I intended to say somewhere in the chapter that it was sent by a random civilian he didn't personally know, but after reading your review, I realized I put that part in, so I'm glad you said something; it now has a few sentences or so explaining that in the actual chapter, so no one gets confused.

Anyhow, thank you for putting so much consideration and detail into your reviews. As you can see, your input and praise helped me make a few needed edits as well as give me an idea of what can make this story better and that's what I look for, so thank you. I look forward to what you have to say next.

_ShinyShiny9: _Thank you, and that is, might I say, a good synopsis of the chapter. Hope you enjoy this one just as much.

_Chelan: _I can write a chapter for Blaze and/or Silver, but it'll have to be something other than snow or anything I've done so far. I'll try to find a theme (or themes) that I can write for them, and I suppose you'll see them when they come up in the story. Anyhow, thank you! I'll try to keep up the good work.


	9. Ornaments

**Ornaments**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in the story.

**Character(s): **Tails and Sonic

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><p>Tails is not normally one to get sidetracked. Whenever he starts a project, he makes sure to complete a great deal of it before taking a break; whenever he helps a friend, he makes sure that his job is to their liking before calling it a day; whenever he has an obligation, <em>he makes sure to see it through<em>.

Apparently, none of these categories encompassed the activity of putting up a Christmas tree, or – should I say – getting out the ornaments for said Christmas tree. It did the previous years, but not so much this one.

You see, he _meant_ to set this first box down, and then head back upstairs to get another, and so on and so on. He _meant _to. Didn't exactly happen that way. What actually occurred is . . . well, nothing productive, unless you count taking a trip down memory lane as productive. If that's the case, then Tails is currently being very productive

It all started by picking up a stray ornament that tumbled out of the case as the box hit the floor; _that's_ when this entire operation went awry. That's when Tails couldn't resist the temptation of rummaging through the box in search of years gone by, of days slaved away by both him and his surrogate older brother.

Back when they first met each other, neither had any ornaments to beautify their non-existent Christmas tree with (they still had to purchase the tree). The two of them came to the decision that making their own would be better than decorating the tree with store-bought ones. Although this consensus was reached, neither elaborated why it was as neither really knew the answer; it just felt right.

Now, as he looked at each ornament thoroughly, Tails theorized that it might have the entire thing feel . . . final. Both of them now both had a home to belong in (even if Sonic didn't use it as much), a family to return to, and a place to call their own. Back then, these were huge changes for both of them – real life-changers – not to mention the decision preceding them difficult to make. This place, each other . . . these were their _firsts _for as long as they could remember. Neither had had a true home before this, or a true family. And now, they did.

So maybe it wasn't so farfetched to think that they each just needed that subtle reminder, a wake-up call to tell them that it was really _happening_.

Or maybe it was; after all, Sonic and Tails don't seem all that sentimental when you think about it. Or, that's what you would think had you never taken a nice, long look at Tails' room. Just by looking inside the closet, you would find not only a few completely-filled photo albums, but also the blueprints generated by the little, seven-year-old fox that used to be their roommate.

Turning your attention towards at the dresser would lend you a new view of remembrance, a green bauble necklace a good friend of Sonic's once wore being the first thing you notice. Then you get a glance of the assortment of photos piled underneath it, each one taken at various settings in countries such as Holoska, Chun-nan, and Adabat, each shot containing a colorful assembly of individuals. A second later, you notice another photo album on the end of the dresser, this one opened as if waiting to be completed.

After your eyes glaze over those, a shiny knight gauntlet, one that seemed almost worn, but not damaged – as if it was used in many medieval fights, but polished straight after every single one – catches your attention, as well as a gold ring engraved with ancient-like markings – a mystical aura surrounding it, the supernatural presence almost_ tangible. _While these might not mean much to anyone else, they do hold a special place in Sonic and Tails' hearts.

They hold as much a place as the ornaments do; neither Sonic nor Tails can deny that the times while making those were unforgettable. After all, it's hard to forget such joy and laughter, and even _harder_ to forget the feeling of creating of home.

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>Games Referenced – Sonic Unleashed, Sonic and the Secret Rings, and Sonic and the Black Knight. So there you have it, day eight; we're about a fourth of the way through this story now. Anyhow, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Make sure to leave your thoughts down in a review; they are a big help to me and I treasure each and every one.

**Responses To Reviews:**

_Twin-books: _First of all, I need to say that the voice I imagine you saying "I knew that sentence sounded odd" in is quite hilarious; at least in my mind, it is. But I digress. Secondly, it was my pleasure to change it; it _was_ my original intention to make sure that the sender was clear, that everyone reading knew that it was a random citizen, so I'm glad that I was notified. Thirdly, I don't think this chapter was necessarily as _cute_, but I hope you still like it.

_Christian Ape99: _I'm going to assume that you are talking about the ones from Sonic Underground. That considered, possibly, depending if I can come up with a story and make it sound good.

_The Dragon Legend: _Was my plan all along. Mission accomplished.

_ShinyShiny9: _Yeah, I wasn't really in the realistic mood while writing; it just sounded good and I rolled with it. It's good to hear that the chapter was still good, as I don't think it was one of my best. I can't wait to hear what you have to say about this one; I think you'll like it more, since it's more character-based.

_ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: _I'm afraid I don't have the answer to your question. The silver lining here is that you are now here; sooner may be better than later, but late is still better than never. Nevertheless, thank you; I'm usually pretty good at writing unconventional stories, so I suppose that I accomplished that with this story as well. Anyhow, I hope that you'll tell me your thoughts on this chapter also.


	10. Wonderland

**Wonderland**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in the story.

**Character(s): **Amy

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><p>She wasn't sure what made winter so enjoyable for her, but regardless of this indecision, Amy always looked forward to the season and welcomed it with arms wide open. It may not have been her favorite season (that title probably goes to summer), but there are so many things that make it a worthwhile – if not outright amazing – season to experience.<p>

To be completely honest, Amy didn't understand why anyone _wouldn't_ like winter. She could understand hating the cold weather; to be fair, Amy could do without that, too, but then she wouldn't have a chance to show off her stylish winter-wear. After all, there are not many other times where you can really get away with wearing snow boots while not getting stared at. Other than that, the only complaint Amy could really recall was the snow, and believe her; Sonic's given them _all_ grief about that.

Still, there are a lot more pros than cons.

Without winter, you wouldn't have Christmas, and everything that comes with it; partying with friends, heartfelt gift exchanges, the delectable sweets, etc. Not to mention the overall ambience surrounding the season; seriously, _this _is the season of nightlife.

Amy couldn't count how many times during this season she decided to stroll through downtown Station Square, just for the fun of it. No matter where you go, the city was just so lively, more so than in other seasons – barring summer. However, with that season, the experience is just not the same; it just can't compare with the vibrant atmosphere of winter, whatnot with all the various lights strung up everywhere, the blow-up decorations of Santa, and other various festive nativity scenes.

With the scenery, the people change as well; generally, in this time of giving, everyone was much more generous, much more thoughtful and considerate. It was almost as if everyone suddenly caught the Christmas flu, the various symptoms including that of increased spirit and cheer, as well as an empty wallet by the end of the season, a guaranteed side effect.

Amy, with all her boundless optimism, could more than well keep up with the city's enthusiastic, never-ending uproar, but her favorite part of the city to visit during these nightly walks was the outskirts, and – more specifically – the beautiful park lining the north part of town. The place was peaceful, with all the snow-lined pathways, a thin layer of snowflakes coating the trees with fine white powder; it was truly refreshing after the general chaos occurring in the midst of the public.

This kind of atmosphere was almost impossible to experience in any other time: the snow, the lights . . . the stars. They were a big part of why Amy cherished these little trips so much; the sky so much clearer in winter, and each star shone so much brighter, acting as beacons of light for the lost and broken to follow. One can really appreciate this view once away from all the artificial lights generated by us mortal beings; no light we ever make can ever compare to _this_.

It was just so breathtaking to take in a full, untarnished view of the entire night sky, a blanket of stars that seems to stretch on forever and ever. Upon first sight of such an expansive, free outlook of the world, Amy realized just how big the world is, how amazing the planet they were inhabiting was. It's also during this view when, faced with such a vast perspective, one also realizes how small they are when compared with the whole of the world; still, it's not always a bad thing to be aware of your limits.

That's why Amy always plan to go stargazing at least once each winter, if not more, especially if the opportunity to share this experience with a friend arises. When Amy first took Cream here with her, and showed her all of _this_, the six-year-old had been nearly speechless, save for a brief squeal of childlike joy, her eyes widening in awe. To be honest, Amy didn't feel much different.

Yeah, there truly was such a thing as a winter wonderland.

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>I'm going in such an odd order, but I suppose that's what happens when you let your gut instinct make your decision for you. There's a method to my madness, I swear! Anyhow, this is a slightly shorter chapter, but hopefully it's just as good. However, I'll leave that for you to decide; once you do form an opinion, why not share it? I'm all ears.

**Responses To Reviews: **

_Katiemonz: _Thank you!

_ShinyShiny9: _It was at this point I realized I had not mentioned anything from the game canon, and I wanted to have some connection, and I figured that chapter was as good a place as any. Anyway, thanks for your comment!

_Twin-books: _Is this soon enough? For that matter, is it cute enough? It has a slight mention of Cream; surely that counts for something! Eh, probably not. Also, your welcome. Thank _you _for your lovely reviews.


	11. Movies

**Movies**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Vector, Espio, Charmy

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><p>Aggressively throwing the door open, Vector dragged himself – or what was left of this <em>shell<em> he was carrying around after such an exhausting day – over to the couch, his feet abandoning his unsteady frame at the last minute as he collapsed unceremoniously onto it, face-first. Rather than switch to a more-comfortable position, the overly-fatigued detective heeded his muscles' screaming protests and allowed himself _just_ a minute to relax, calm his nerves, and simply _breathe_.

He don't know how long he ended up laying there, but he knew his body needed it; even now, he didn't care enough to straighten up his slumped form, content enough with the slightly-uncomfortable, yet satisfactory break as he gradually gained a clear focus on his mind again. Right now, all the Team Chaotix members had to stay sharp, and remain in tip-top form, their bodies as ready, their minds as agile, and their detective skills as keen as they always had been. Still, Vector wasn't sure how long he – how long _any_ of them – could keep this up, chasing their tails in circles as they endlessly searched for work that just wasn't _here_.

It was always bad in winter, but it was never _this_ bad. In previous years, they had scraped by, taking as many cases as they could find, the traffic of customers just enough to keep the electricity bill going. Then again, scraping by is not the equivalent of a prospering life, of a stable or steady revenue. And now, it's even worse; now all three of them were always on their feet, racing throughout the city and scrambling around for any odd job that anyone would be willing to offer.

They haven't had much luck this winter, but they'll get through somehow, even if it was bad. And it was bad.

So bad that they had to harshly cut down on their spending, and thanks to Charmy's threats to cry and scream as loud as he could had he and Espio cut the cable, a much more important utility had been shut off, one that the Chaotix Detective Agency heavily relied on: the phone. They received most of their cases via this communication outlet, and now they've willingly severed their main ties with a majority of their customers. Not the best business decision he ever made, Vector will admit, but when Charmy threatens to do something, you'd better believe that he'll go through with it; and Vector just really didn't feel like going through the endurance test to see if he could handle Charmy's shrill voice constantly wailing and whining at him, piercing his ears throughout the entire season.

Looking on the bright side, though, at least they have entertainment. Might not have the means to pay for it, but at least they have it.

Vector was about to get up – after who know how long – but before he could lift himself up from his position, a muffled sound echoed throughout the house, one that made him curse under his breath and want to rip the pillow his head was currently resting on. Resisting the urge to make his desires a reality, Vector quickly peeled himself off the couch and made his way over to the phone, the phone Espio was supposed to disconnect _a few days ago. _

"Hello." Vector hoped his voice sounded more welcoming than what he perceived it as; right now, he didn't have the strength – nor did he care – to feign a hospitable tone that sounded convincible enough to sound true. No one responded; if they didn't want him to hang up, they better soon, for his patience was running on a short fuse at the moment. "Hello!"

At first, silence was all that answered his frustrated cries, and then – all of a sudden – sound.

"_What's this? What's this? There's color everywhere!" _Vector stared stupidly, not knowing how to respond to this stranger . . . _singing_. He already didn't know how to respond; the singing made it worse! Immediately, a few thoughts flew through his head of what this could possibly be: a solicitor trying to catch my attention with a catchy tune? A nut job that enjoyed singing to random people over the phone? Or just a stupid prank? Vector didn't get a chance to voice any of these suspicions before the singing continued.

"_What's this? There's white things in the air. What's this? I can't believe my eyes; I must be dreaming! Wake up, Jack! This isn't fair! What's this?" _

"Okay, I've had enough of this!" the detective exclaimed, slamming down the phone back onto its stand, trying to piece together what just happened. He eventually gave up, dismissing the strange occurrence with a wave of his hand as he started on his way back to the couch. He didn't get too far before the phone rang again.

_Are you serious?!_ _All I want is a break!_

"What?!" Vector half-asked, half-screamed into the other person's ear. Surprisingly, they weren't intimidated by his tone, for they answered almost immediately.

"Um, excuse me, sir, but can I ask you for help?" She had a voice similar to Cream's, Vector noted, though this young girl's voice sounded a lot more annoying right now.

Vector sighed exasperatedly, finding himself unable to turn her down, regardless of how much he wanted to. "What do you need?"

"Well, me and my friends accidently put this magical hat on top of a snowman and now's it's alive!" she explained, her voice rising in pitch as a vague panic seeped through her calm demeanor.

Meanwhile, Vector couldn't find the capacity to care. "And that's a problem _how_ again? Seriously, stop wasting my time, and give me a real case to work with!"

After a brief stutter, the girl tried once more to convince him. "Wait, sir, you don't understand; it – " Vector hung up before she could finish. At this point, he couldn't care less and just wanted to take a nap. And he would, right now; even if that phone rings again, he will not – I repeat, _will not_ – pick. It. up.

Yet, even after steeling his nerves to fight against the temptation, what does he do once the phone rings? Well, pick it up again, of course. "What do you want?"

"I don't have any food!" a hyperactive voice replied, the deepness of his voice leading Vector to believe he was talking to a grown-up. One with an actual case on his hands, it seems. Maybe we can actually get somewhere with this.

"What kind of food do you need?" Vector asked, grabbing his notepad and sliding the pen into his hand, readying himself to take some notes, his mind conveniently forgoing the fact that they didn't have the excess money they would need to spend for this job.

"Anything within the four main food groups."

As he was about to write that down, Vector did a double-take. "There are _five_ main food groups, sir."

"No, there are only four: candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup!" the guy on the other side listed, almost proudly.

And Vector gave up right then and there; without even bothering to answer, he hung up the phone, returning it to its stand. After a day like today, he really, _really _didn't feel like dealing with this. He doesn't even know why he did in the first place. This time, as he made his way over to the couch, the phone didn't ring. The house was finally still, silent, and peaceful enough for him to lie back down, close his eyes, and attempt to get some sleep before Espio and Charmy returned with news of how their patrol went.

He was close to falling asleep, and would've in a few seconds time, but the phone rang. Again. This time he refused to answer, deciding to let it fade out into silence as he dug his head into the pillow, his attempt to block out the annoying, incessant noise unsuccessful. The ringing just got louder, and louder, and louder; and soon, it evolved into other sounds, eventually taking the forms of two _very _familiar voices.

"I can't get him to wake up, Espio. What should we do?"

"Just drop the phone on his head; that works every time."

Vector, at once, startled out of his slumber. "I'm up, I'm up." That phone's been dropped on his head for more than enough times; he didn't need to feel the sensation again. "How'd your patrol through the city go?" he asked, trying to divert the conservation away from him.

While keeping his eyes fixed the TV (hmmm, funny, Vector didn't remember turning it on), Charmy answered, not as energetic as usual, but certainly more so than he's been for the past few days. "Really good, actually! We got a few really good jobs, and the lady that offered them gave us a big donation!"

"Yeah, enough that we can get the phone working again," Espio nonchalantly chimed in, his voice lost on the crocodile as he stared at the TV screen with a deadpan expression, shaking his head slowly as he let his body fall back onto the couch, ignoring the young bee's frustrated comment of "Move over, Vector! You're taking up _all_ the room!"

Right now, he was too busy focusing on the TV to care. _"What's this? What's this? There's color everywhere!"_

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>Well, this is cutting it close. Movies Referenced – Nightmare Before Christmas, Frosty The Snowman, and Elf. And my god, this chapter was _hard _to write. And surprisingly long (the longest one so far). Either way, hope you all enjoyed!

**Responses To Reviews: **

_ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: _Interesting. In both of the reviews you've made, you apologized about not reviewing. Interesting, very interesting. But I digress. Anyhow, thank you for this review; I look forward to the next.

_Twin-books: _Oh, no, whatever shall I do? Oh, well, if I have to assist you, then so be it. Also, I'm extremely unconventional; I can write (and have written) about some weird, random things. Anyway, thank you for your comments; I'll keep the whole description thing in mind.

_ShinyShiny9: _Well, it's good to know that I can nail Amy's character if I absolutely have to, so thank you!


	12. Stocking

**Stocking**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in this story

**Character(s): **Shadow

* * *

><p>Shadow knew he was – to a degree – cynical; he naturally questioned others' intentions, and he didn't try to hide that fact. If someone did something unexpected or suspicious, that would be his immediate gut reaction to such an act. After contemplating the action through, his mind might be changed (and he would repress his cynical viewpoint) or it might stay the same (possibly intensifying as he reaffirmed his first position).<p>

Regardless of whom this person is – as long as they aren't Rouge or Omega – or if they even are a person, that's just how it goes.

So excuse him for not immediately rejoicing at the fact that G.U.N. was trying to spread some Christmas cheer throughout their employees, and actually acknowledged the fact that Christmas exists. This was the first year that the company did either, and Shadow couldn't help but question its ulterior motives in doing so.

Such inquiries had been the first thoughts on his mind as he first laid eyes on the stocking that hung on the wall above his locker. It was already bad enough that he almost couldn't reach the thing – _curse being a short Mobian _– but it was made even worse as the G.U.N. staff morale representative (or something stupid like that) kept pushing the idea that everyone on staff should get something to put in everyone's stockings, for it really showed a good team spirit. Or , again, something as stupid and cheesy as that.

He also couldn't help but notice that the representative kept repeating that apparently if, by the end of the season, you were pulling your weight and satisfactorily completing all your assignments, you might get something extra special from G.U.N. dropped into your stocking. No one knew _what_ exactly that was, for the presenter never explicitly stated that, but all his colleagues seemed to hypothesize that it had something to do with vacation time, since almost every G.U.N worker had asked (read: endlessly complain about the lack of/pathetically beg) for more recently. Shadow would be inclined to disagree with such a theory, though it was certainly a nice dream. A hopeless one, but good one nonetheless.

Shadow didn't really care what it was; it just sounded like bribing to him. This entire thing almost sounded like a bribe. After all, Shadow wouldn't put it past the G.U.N. commander to _say_ that this operation was intended to raise team spirit, but really _mean _that you get extra goodies if you did your job right. Regardless of whether he cared or not, the former was actually accomplished, Shadow noted as he walked through the halls toward his locker; it seemed as if everyone was acting a _bit_ more personable, their outward demeanors towards their colleagues a _touch_ more friendly.

Or, they could simply pretending to be nicer so that more people bought them trivial treats to put in their stocking. Could be either of the two really, though for Rouge, it's probably the latter; every time Shadow heard her enter a conversation, he could swear that she was acting more sympathetic and caring. That facade was quickly broken as she made sure to _/subtly/_ mention – to every person she conversed with – what she hoped to get from others in her stocking.

Shadow wasn't surprised at this behavior, really, especially not at that of his colleagues'. They always did seem like sheep to him, so this was just reaffirming that belief. After all, it's not as if G.U.N. was being genuine with this; of course, though, they weren't nearly as cynical as he was, so why _wouldn't_ they believe it was?

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>Might as well follow up a longer chapter with a shorter one, I suppose. Anyway, thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed!

**Responses To Reviews:**

_ShinyShiny9: _I think that a majority of my frustration was due to the fact I was on a strict time limit. That, added to the fact that it was a really long chapter, just annoyed the hell out of me. Anyhow, thank you!

_Christian Ape99: _I know. Trust me, I know.

_ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: _Yay for correct characterization! I haven't really written much – if anything – for Team Chaotix, so it's good that I can write somewhat well for them. Thank you for reviewing!

_Twin-books: _Well, I didn't make it as obvious as I could've made it; yesterday, I was just trying to _finish _it, so I get publish it on time. As such, I wasn't as careful with my writing as I usually am. Nevertheless, thanks for your comments!


	13. Cookies

**Cookies**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Sonic and Tails

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><p>Casting a brief glance at the clock for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day, Sonic helplessly sighed, his impatient nature getting the best of him as an internal battle between his heart and his brain ensued within him. While his heart argued that he could easily be doing something productive (like running, for example), his brain retorted that <em>that<em> kind of thinking is what caused his previous two batches of cookies to fail, and end up in a stiff, scorched mess. But it was _so hard _to just sit here and _wait_, and not do anything for a good fifteen minutes; if he tried to do anything, even something as simple as watching TV, he'd end up forgetting to take out the batch at the proper time. Yet again.

So he rid himself of all distractions, intent on baking at least _one _decent batch of cookies before the day was over. But, god, was it _boring_. It didn't help that he just didn't care about cooking or baking or grilling or whatever other food-making process there was; he may _love_ food, but he _hated _making it. He didn't find it enjoyable and he just wasn't good at it. To this day, the only food he can reliably make over and over again, and replicate with the same quality, are – understandably – chili dogs.

Unfortunately, six-year-old foxes don't always desire those, so – whether he wanted to or not – the hedgehog has forced himself to learn how to make a few other basic meals. He still hasn't really mastered cooking anything other than his forte, but he continued to try, regardless of the results. Which were – more often times than not – a failure, in which he would have to swallow his pride, admit he failed, and repress the frustrated sigh fighting its way up his throat. It was a painful process, but one he went through quite often, so he was quite used to it by this point.

Still, familiarity of the sensation didn't lesson the blow on his pride any less. Especially when experiencing failure after failure; by his second failed cookie batch, Sonic had briefly considered forgoing his self-sufficiency in favor of dropping by the store to buy some or convincing Amy to make some instead. Both options sounded good, better than what he was working with currently, and he was leaning really close to both.

One thing stopped him before he could go through with either.

Even though cookies were not his forte, he had promised Tails that he would make him some, and the hedgehog couldn't find the courage to go back on his word after glancing out the window; he couldn't rack up the nerve to go out and disappoint the young fox currently playing in the snow, without a care in the world. No, he had to do this; he had to prove to Tails, and more importantly – to himself – that he could do this. That he could take care of the fox just fine.

Still, if he couldn't even make a batch of cookies, how was he ever supposed to take care of a six-year-old kid when he, himself, was only eleven? He knew it was a gamble taking the kit under his wing, and he didn't regret the decision he made, at least for himself. He just didn't know whether it was the right choice for Tails, when the fox could be living a different, possibly a better, life right now.

Steeling his resolve, Sonic continued to stare down the clock, refusing to let down his charge this time. If Tails wanted cookies _he_ made, he would make sure to deliver. He wanted to believe for both him _and_ Tails that he could do this. However, only time will tell.

* * *

><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>Thank you all for reading; hope you enjoyed!

**Responses To Reviews:**

_Christian Ape99: _I think you mean "scrooge."

_Twin-books: _Thank you! I'll try my best to.

_ShinyShiny9: _Ah, yes, realism is an _absolute_ must in this series; in a franchise that stars a blue hedgehog that runs at the speed of sound, what is _not_ realistic? Sarcasm off. Either way, people react differently to certain things, and even if their viewpoints are unexpected, it doesn't mean that they just drop that perspective (i.e. Shadow's attitude towards Christmas). So, there has to be _some_ balance between the cheerfulness and skepticism, however one-sided that balance is

_ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: _They are quite a sketchy company, I'll say.


	14. Fireplace

**Fireplace**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters present in the story.

**Character(s): **Blaze

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><p>For as long as Blaze could remember, fire has filled her heart. As far back as her memory reached, it always has had a place in her life, many aspects of which she could date the roots back to this special connection. Her close ties with fire were the cause of many traits that had developed within her; because of this relationship, her pyrokinetic powers had developed, her obligation to the Sol emeralds as their Guardian finally being realized as well. Neither of these would have occurred given the absence of her internal fire.<p>

Another perk that wouldn't have come to exist without it would be her resulting biotic tolerance against the cold; due to her adept control over the smoldering element, her body possessed a natural resistance against the dropping climate change accompanying the seasonal transition from fall to winter. In other words, it shielded her internal body temperature from decreasing too rapidly when exposed to frostier weather. This tolerance was so strong that she almost never got cold in winter.

On the flipside, however, she almost _always_ got hot in summer. Every other season, she was usually fine – as long as the autumn and spring seasons didn't take after summer in terms of temperature. Oh, and she doesn't like staying that close to a fire pit, fireplace, or anything like that, if was lit and flames were burning. It would have to be really, _truly_ freezing before she ever willingly cuddled up next to anything of the sort.

Apparently, she forgot to mention this peculiar quirk to her friends. Currently, her and a few of them had vacated to Amy's abode for shelter from the oncoming snowstorm raging outside. They weren't really doing anything too exciting; they were all mainly just catching up, sharing stories of interesting events that had occurred in their lives recently and chatting about random, trivial matters, all the while feasting on Amy's delectable brownies. Blaze was enjoying herself for the most part, until Tails suggested that they start a fire in the fireplace, since it the temperature seemed to be dropping.

Of course, the pyrokinetic cat couldn't verify this for herself, but she went along with it anyway; this plan only lasted for so long. After who knows how long of burning up next to the flames, eyeing them as they lapped at the air hungrily – wanting to spread closer to her, no less – Blaze couldn't take the unbearable heat anymore and excused herself to depart away from the fire. Ultimately, this abrupt exit unintentionally took her away from the small, enclosed half-circle of Mobians. Of her friends, of the few she willingly talked to.

She didn't know if she offended any of them; she had felt a few of their gazes boring on her back as she retreated away, especially Silver's surprised glance as she stood up and left his side. After she took her place quite a few feet away from the fire, he turned his head towards her multiple times, his face unreadable each and every single one. Still, after separating herself from the fire's grasp, she almost wanted to return to it; now she felt like a third-wheel (or fifth, if you wish to be pedantic). With everyone crowded around the fireplace, everyone's backs were turned towards her. All the action was taking place in a location she had no part in and, despite the fact that it was her own decision, she couldn't help but feel slightly left out. A few times, they would try to bring her into the conversation, but her communication skills weren't the sharpest so she wasn't able to keep herself engaged in them for long.

She did want to return to their circle a few times, but she stifled that desire, knowing that this scenario would simply repeat itself. So why bother?

Eventually, after determining that the snowstorm was mild enough for safe travel, Blaze decided to take her true departure. Her friends gave her their farewells, however regretful that they were ("We wish you could've stayed longer . . . "), and she was on her way, silently hoping that they understood that _they_ were not what pushed her to leave. If Sonic and Silver's empathetic expressions were anything to judge by, she had no doubt that they did.

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><p><strong>Smokestep:<strong> I have nothing unique to say to either of the reviewers for last chapter, so I'll just say this: thank you for taking the time to leave your comments. I really appreciate it.

As for this chapter, I hope you all genuinely enjoyed it! I thought it was a pretty interesting one to write; so, as readers, what do you think?


	15. Mistletoe

**Mistletoe**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters present in this story.

**Character(s): **Knuckles, Sonic, and Amy

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><p>Watching Sonic stumble around was quite amusing, at least from Knuckles' vantage point. You saw a side of him rarely seen otherwise; the nervous stuttering, the barely-noticeable blush, and the slight trembling were – no doubt – the complete opposite of the quick-witted, skilled, fearless hero everyone had come to know as Sonic The Hedgehog. He now no longer possessed any of those traits, his words deliberate and spoken with hesitation, a gleam of apprehension sparking in his emerald eyes as they anxiously flitted back and forth, his focus constantly wavering between the rest of the room and her.<p>

She was one of the only things that could make him this way, that made him trip over his own words in haste as he embarrassingly gazed at the floor as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. At this point, the other Sonic – the one that always had put a brave face on in the face of danger, laughed right in death's face, and won every battle of wit – had long since left the building, leaving his other half alone to deal with her.

Now, all that was left was this stripped-down version of his rival, his confident facade fading as this oblivious, naive kid took over his thoughts and actions. It was in these moments that one could tell that beneath the surface, the hedgehog still didn't know what to do when it came to matters of love. Partly because he hadn't much experience, and partly because he was just dense; for the first few years that they had known each other, Sonic didn't detect her crush on him even when everyone else could. It was that obvious before, and it's still that obvious now.

He knows now, but knowing is only half the battle; whatever the other half was, who knew? Although he better find out quickly, for she was doing a good job of backing him up into the corner, leaving him no room to make a break for it; she had dealt with her fair shares of quick getaways, so she was no stranger to his distraction tactics, none of which would help him now.

A part of Knuckles just wanted him to get it over with. It was just one quick kiss. How a small, measly plant effortlessly commands two people to kiss he will never know, but why waste time fighting it? Still the blue hedgehog was looking for an out, an escape the other pink hedgehog wouldn't allow him; just by one glance, you could tell that she wouldn't let him get away without at least one kiss, no matter what he said or did.

Eventually, he did agree to a kiss, but only if it was a short, _short _one_._ Leaning forward hesitantly, he allowed Amy to kiss him, at which point everyone in the room cheered, barring a few select individuals. Knuckles couldn't tell exactly what the hedgehog's reaction to the kiss was; after the two hedgehogs separated, he wore an unreadable expression that revealed _nothing_ about his thoughts and feelings.

On the contrary, his behavior after everyone's attention diverted away from him may have said everything that needed to be said; rather than return to the energetic, lively personality exemplified before he was cornered, Sonic was much more quiet, more thoughtful. Also, he kept shooting glances at the pink hedgehog; Knuckles couldn't read the emotion present in his eyes as he regarded her, but it certainly wasn't one of hate, fear, or disgust.

Knuckles decided to pester him about it all later, although currently he felt he could make an accurate assumption just based on what he's seen. He smirked. It seems like Amy might soon get what she wants after all.

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>I'm so sorry that all these chapters are so later – and getting late and later it seems. Believe me, I try to publish them early, but some days it feels nearly impossible to accomplish that. Either way, thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed! If you have any criticism/praise for me, I'd really appreciate it if you left it in a review. I'll see you guys tomorrow at the next installment.

**Response To Reviews:**

_Twin-books: _Well, let's try to be logical about this, shan't we? Winter is colder than summer, spring, and fall – at least where I live – so the reason she's not hot then is maybe because the two temperatures counteract one another. By herself, she's fine, temperature-wise, while winter's temperature drop doesn't exactly affect her because of her body's resistance. However, in summer, instead of forces working against each other, we have two that add up: her internal temp and the external temp, making it hotter than what is comfortable. As for the hugs, I assume that it would feel like a normal one, since everything with Blaze's control over fire is internal, rather than external – at least until she uses it externally. But since she is just relaxing, she's not releasing any heat; therefore, through touching her, you wouldn't feel anything out of the ordinary. Anyhow, you already know how I feel about reviews and whatnot; either way, though, thanks for taking your time to leave one on the last chapter!


	16. Snowball Fight

**Snowball Fight**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters present in the story.

**Character(s): **Silver

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><p>He never thought he'd be in this position; whenever they partake in any of these spirited, yet slightly aggressive, competitions, it was usually Sonic or Amy that everyone would fight over, sometimes Shadow if they managed to drag him out and convince him to join their "trivial" game – as he would say – in the first place. Of course, Sonic and Shadow are the obvious choices for most of their contests, simply because their speed allows them to do so much before anyone else even got a chance to move. This is especially true when having a snowball fight. And it doesn't help that ninety-nine percent of the time they made a move, they were on their mark, so any target they had their eyes on would likely be down for the count, especially with how hard the black hedgehog throws. Although they do shine in these games, they weren't – by any means – bad on anything else; they were valuable team members, regardless of the game.<p>

As for Amy, she had the highest speed and aim out of everyone else left, and though they were nowhere near what the previous two hedgehogs had, she was quite the force to reckon with. Additionally, she possessed a good eye for symmetry and a creative decorating sense, talents that benefited whatever team she was on in the snowman-making contests, especially.

So, while no one was particularly bad at any of the games (everyone was actually very competent in most of the competitions; each person was able to hold his or her own, so each game ended in an intense fight), it was painfully obvious why everyone fought over having these three on their team. Since there were usually only three teams, it all evened out, with each hedgehog on a separate team. This way, each group had a close-to-equal chance of winning. Silver didn't want to imagine the team they made up if they were all on one; at that point, they would be practically unbeatable. And yet, his team managed to beat them; how that was possible, Silver didn't know.

All he knew was that now, after that last close game, _he _was now being fought over as well.

The reason lies within his play style of the last game. Before, Silver would refrain from using his powers, since using them felt like cheating. However, after considering that – if that was the case – Sonic and Shadow had been cheating long before he has, Silver decided to play a game or two with his psychokinesis, using his mind rather than his hands to compete. It turns out that it was a huge improvement, one that won the snowball fight for his team as Sonic sulked at his loss and Shadow turned way, grunting as if he didn't care. Silver knew better; he's known the black hedgehog long enough to know when his pride's been hurt. His comment after the fight ended was also a good indicator ("We lost to _their_ team?!"). Soon after, his group also dominated the snowman-making competition, Silver able to use his psychokinesis to straighten out the snowman's body and form perfect, round balls for them to use. Combine that with Amy's designing expertise – since he was on her team for the two games – and the rest of the group's efforts, their win was guaranteed.

After such a showcase of what he could accomplish with his powers, he became as valuable as the other three hedgehogs as a teammate. Although Shadow tried to prohibit him from using his powers, claiming that they were an unfair advantage, he couldn't counter Silver's claim that his using his speed was also such an unfair benefit. Ever since, Silver has exercised his powers in a majority of the games, counting them out only when he felt that he wanted a clean fight.

Still, at least every game was more balanced, and – even though Silver didn't think it was possible – more intense than before. Things were going to get a lot more fun around here.

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>I hate my sleeping schedule, absolutely hate it. I'm sorry everyone; I didn't mean to make my prediction yesterday true. No, it was not my intention to post this even later than the other chapters. That was just how it happened, sadly. I'll try _really_ hard to break this streak tomorrow, so for those with this on their alert list, be aware that even though the date hasn't changed, you will probably find another chapter from me today. So, check periodically.

Anyhow, hope you enjoy this extremely late – or is it extremely early? – chapter. If you have anything to say, you know where to click. I'd really appreciate any feedback. Nonetheless, I'll see you all later today for the next installment. Have a very good morning/afternoon until then!

**Response To Reviews:**

_Christian Ape99: _Well, now you know.

_ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: _Yeah, there are a lot of apologies flying around today, huh? Either way, though, thanks for reviewing last one. Normally, when I see that a frequent reader didn't review a chapter, I assume that either (1) they are too busy to or (2) they . . . they don't like the story anymore or the chapter, I suppose? I don't know; it was something like that. I know I had two reasons before; I just can't remember the second one. But I digress. Thank you for your input; I hope you find the time to give me some for this chapter as well.

_ShinyShiny9: _Maybe slightly. At least you made up for it by giving me all your opinions in one; thank you for that. As for this last chapter, it was originally going to be in Amy's perspective, and that chapter was fully completed, but it just didn't sound right when I read it. So I wrote one with Knuckles' point of view, and thought it sounded better. Seems like I made the right decision, especially considering I like writing more unique ideas and presenting them in a different fashion. Anyhow, I look forward to your thoughts on this chapter.

_Twin-books: _Oh, no, you went and did it again Twin-books; now the review responses are going to make up half this chapter. Good job. /sarcasm off/ Alright, let's do this. So, if you mean to simply _add_ a "he," therefore making the sentence ("Although currently he felt **[he]** could make an accurate assumption..."), you would be correct, and I'll go edit that in after I'm done with this. However, if you meant to move it ("Although currently felt **[he]** could make . . ."), that be incorrect, because there wouldn't be a noun/pronoun the "currently felt" would apply to. Who is currently feeling? Just so you know, I'm merely adding this alteration because I thought that's how you first meant it. You probably meant the former way, though, so I will grant you this win. With that, I think you now took the lead by one; I'm pretty sure the current score is 1:2. Don't get too comfortable, though; I'll catch up soon enough. Anyhow, now that that's all said and done, thank you for the feedback. I look forward to whatever you have to say next.


	17. List

**List**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Rouge

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><p>Rouge felt like a little kid again. However, it wasn't a nostalgic longing for her childhood that she currently felt, but rather the humiliating sting from someone treating you as one, when Rouge is clearly <em>not<em> a child. She was much more mature, able, and perceptive than one, and refused to be looked down upon as such.

Even though, in this case, the woman was literally looking _down _at her. It wasn't her fault that humans were so much taller than Mobians; besides, it wasn't her towering height that bothered Rouge. It was the belittling tone in her voice, the patronizing words she spoke, and the woman's overall condescending attitude towards her. At this point, Rouge just wanted to end this conversation, but the human seemed intent on reprimanding her for not wanting to partake in a _kid's _activity when she's an _adult._

_Oh, yes, how __dare__ she not want to sit on Santa's lap! Oh, what a sin! _

Restraining her tongue from responding with a lashing remark, one that would no doubt let this woman know she was an adult, Rouge remained in her place, rolling her eyes as she unwillingly took in this stranger's nonsensical words. She could probably leave, but Rouge just had to see what other stupid comments the other would make that would degrade this conversation even further. It was almost like visiting your crazy uncle solely _because_ he's crazy; yeah, each second you're in his presence you'll feel like you're losing brain cells, but at least you can make fun of it later. Or it was like a drug, and you get absolutely nothing out of it. Probably the latter, if the mindless drivel she was currently exposed to was any indicator. Either way, what was this woman's problem? Seriously, just _what_ is it?

Sighing as the woman ranted on and on, Rouge's sensitive ears turned away in hopes of tuning her aggravating voice out, the bat couldn't help but wonder why she ever decided to take this route through the mall in the first place. Her original plan had been to make a brief stop at the hardware shop at the edge of the mall to buy a gift for Tails – or Fox-boy, as she preferred calling him – and then trek over to the clothes store to see if she could find anything that Amy would like. From there, she still had a few stops to go for a few of her other friends whose gifts she hadn't bought yet, including Knuckles. He'd be receiving a surprise present, since he never told her what he actually wanted, insisting that he didn't want ANYTHING from her. Oh, well, she'd get him something anyway.

But this plan had been flushed down the toilet around . . . oh, maybe around fifteen minutes ago. And this woman was still talking. Rouge glanced _once _at the line for Santa and this is what she gets: a repetitive rant over how good this idiot's five-year-old son was, and apparently how Rouge, herself, would end up on Santa's naughty list for refusing to see him.

Eventually, the albino bat couldn't take any more than this nonsense; she may be a secret agent, but this was _not_ a part of her job description! As she excused herself from the chat – slightly less politely than you might expect – she overheard the woman call after her, "You'll regret this once you get nothing but coal in your stocking for Christmas!"

Yeah, sure she will, just as much as she'll regret being on Santa's naughty list. Which is – oh, I don't know – _not at all_! Rouge didn't care in the slightest, not about what this woman thinks, and definitely not about Santa's list. Matter of fact, she didn't care about _anyone's _list.

Sorry, but this girl lives by her own rules.

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>Alright, so I lied about the updating time. On accident, of course. So, I think I'm just going to stop making any more promises about it, at least for the rest of week. After Friday, things will – hopefully – get better, and I'll be able to update each chapter on the actual day. We'll see, though. Anyhow, this was actually a really fun chapter to write. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it, and if you do/don't, please share your opinions in the box below! I appreciate each and every comment. See you all at the next installment.

**Responses To Reviews:**

_Christian Ape99: _Oh, you don't know my sleep schedule.

_ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: _I try to keep the characters as in-character as possible. I thought I did his personality justice, but it's nice to hear someone reaffirm it, so thanks. I hope to hear your thoughts on this chapter.

_The Dragon Legend: _He's not the best snowball fighter _yet_; he first needs to develop the power of creating a full body shield around himself. _Then_ he'll be the best snowball fighter ever.

_Twin-books: _Sadly for you, I caught two things in this review. Firstly, you said "Silver was quite cleaver," so unless you mean to say that Silver is a cleaver – at which point I must ask how a cleaver can be your favorite character – you were slightly off the mark there. Secondly, with "I kept imagining other moibains . . . " I don't think there is such a thing as moibains. And that's how you do that. Boo-yah! Anyhow, I suppose that earns me two points, but since I'm so generous, I'll make each worth only half a point; so now, we're tied. But I digress. And you're not crazy, not as crazy as me, at least. You may have had that vision, but who is the one that wrote the chapter that made you have it? Anyhow, thank you for the kind words; I'll try to "keep being awesome." I've been trying for sixteen or so chapters, so I have some experience by this point.


	18. Presents

**Presents**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Sonic and Tails

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><p><em>One, two, three, and turn. <em>

_One, two, three, and turn. _

Ah, pacing, the simple activity that has unintentionally become my most favorite pastime as of December. I've repeated this process for so long that by this point, I could blindfold myself and shackle my legs together with the shortest chain on the face of this earth, and_** still**_ do this perfectly.

_One, two, three, and turn. _

"Sonic!" My ears impulsively swivel upwards at the sound of a slightly high-pitched voice screaming exasperatedly at me, the muffled sound originating from somewhere below me: Tails' Workshop, where said fox was probably glaring at the ceiling right about now. "Stop pacing! I can barely hear myself think down here!"

I forcibly bite back my tongue to fight the irritated sigh rising in the back of my throat at the abrupt and unexpected command, my eyes subconsciously rolling as the house drifted into a static silence, save for the distant buzz of Tails' tools downstairs.

Nevertheless ( and true to my kind nature) I abruptly halt in my hasty laps around the living room – I believe I had reached the two-hundredth seventy-third pace by that point – and cast a frustrated glance at the creaky workshop door held slightly-ajar across from me before scanning the rest of the room for something to keep my mind occupied. Ultimately, I decided to watch some TV, or – more or less – use it as background noise. As soon as my back hit the couch, I immediately wished I was doing something else, something slightly more physical. Like running, even though pacing hadn't been too bad considering what I had to work with here. Additionally, Tails would just yell at me more, so . . .

And it wasn't as if I was angry at the fox; it's just that I feel like I need to do _something_. I know he's frustrated with me, but does he really think I _wanted_ to spend an entire twenty-four hours in this place? I mean, it's great to have a home like this to come back to every so often, but spending long periods of time here isn't that appealing to me. It's a little too claustrophobic to stay in for that long, if you ask me, and there's not much room to run, even without a two-tailed fox to yell at you for doing so.

To be honest, I'd rather be taking my chances outside right now, but even I know better than to run over three-hundred miles per hour when it's raining hail outside. So I've been stuck indoors all day, and Tails wouldn't even let me help him down in the workshop today either. He said that he'd rather work alone and disappeared in a flash down the stairs. Yeah, right, _sure_ he didn't want my help.

However, after witnessing his near-desperate exit, I've had a sneaking suspicion that he's been working on my Christmas gift this whole time, but I think I'll wait till Christmas Eve to even begin to bother him about that. Though I'm betting he won't let me catch a glimpse of it until Christmas day.

So, since I had absolutely nothing better to do, whatnot with the hail, I decided to tackle a very important mission, one that I had personally thought would be insanely easy: Tails' present. As one can probably guess – with my incessant pacing – it wasn't as easy as originally thought. In previous years, he had always made it obvious what he desired for the holidays, so I wouldn't have to rack my brain aimlessly in order to determine what to get him; this year, Tails hasn't spotted anything too special. So, upon my questioning of what he would like, he simply answered with, "Whatever you feel is best."

Yeah, there's not too much to go off there.

And it doesn't help much considering that I've only got a little over a week to find the perfect present for him, not to mention all my other friends (although I already planned most of their gifts out; it's just the matter of actually getting and wrapping them). All in all, my real dilemma here is Tails, who seems to have a clear, concise idea of what I want.

Whatever that is, who knows; I know I sure don't. He knows I'm not too materialistic, so it won't be something too superficial. It'll be something that I like; Tails hasn't yet given me something that doesn't fit this description, and I don't need to worry about it. Right now, what I should be focusing on is that I do just as good a job as he does this year. Can't be outdone by my little brother, now, can I?

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>I think this is the first time I wrote in first person for this story, although I may be incorrect. If it is, hopefully it's not too different from my other chapters, in terms of quality. Of course, that's for you all to decide, and I would really appreciate if you'd share what you thought. See you at the next installment!

**Responses To Reviews:**

_Christian Ape99: _Yes, I have. Multiple times, actually. Anyhow, thank you.

_ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: _Yeah, thank you for the correction.

_Twin-books: _Well, at least I'm consistent with my chapters; and, even though I have my doubts with a few of the chapters, thank you. Believe me, I'm trying to keep up what I'm doing. I'm just glad today's the last day of school until 2015 rolls around; until then, I'm free! And I'll have a lot more time to write, so there's that. Also, you need around at least 500 more words to match one of my chapters, so there's your benchmark to reach that goal.


	19. Sickness

**Sickness**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters.

**Character(s): **Shadow and Sonic

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><p>If this was any other day, Shadow wouldn't be here at half past noon. He'd be somewhere out in the world, either completing one of his missions from G.U.N., escaping to an area vacant of annoying people, or just simply running for the fun of it – he doesn't get as much pleasure from it as Sonic but it was enjoyable, at the very least. However, this wasn't just any other day.<p>

"Rouge," the black hedgehog called hoarsely, his voice cracking as he willed it to be louder. After receiving no answer for a few seconds, Shadow assumed that his friend hadn't heard, whatnot with how much he was limited on the volume of his voice. For the past few days, he'd barely been able to rise it up to a level where those in another room can hear him; so there was no way Rouge would hear him from all the way downstairs. Still, the aching in his throat didn't quite match up to the pain that was everywhere else, so he tried to call to the bat again. "Rou – " Before he could finish, a series of explosive coughs interrupted him, racking his body as Shadow doubled over in his bed as he tried to dispel the coughing.

_Where's Rouge when you need her? _The black hedgehog couldn't help but think as the coughing finally subsided, turning into pained groans as he tried to pull his body out of the bed, his muscles screaming in protest. _There's no way this is what being sick feels like; it's never this bad for anyone else. _After Shadow planted his feet on the floor and found his balance, he made his way over to the bathroom; when he gets there, there'd better be some pills he could take or _something_. His hope dissipated as he opened the medicine cabinet to find his pill bottle gone.

Slamming the door shut, Shadow stormed out of the bathroom, absolutely _furious _with Rouge, if the scowl was anything to judge by. She was supposed to get more medicine this morning; where the hell was she?! He was definitely going to give her a piece of mind when she returned, even though Shadow knew a majority of his anger was directed at himself for this weakness.

He was the _Ultimate Lifeform_! Since when does _he _get sick?! He was meant to cure illnesses, not have them! And yet, here he was, with a scratchy and quiet – almost mute – voice, a body that he no longer had control over, and a headache that endlessly hammered against the insides of his skull, created a deafening pounding that made his head feel as if it was going to explode at any minute.

Sighing tiredly, the black hedgehog tried to find something to distract himself from his current condition, dragging himself over to the bat's living room. Maybe he could forget about his own misery by drowning in other people's pain. To be honest, it was a better distraction than any. However, he soon found himself nodding off, the struggle of keeping his eyes open proving more difficult as time wore on. Eventually, he let himself fall asleep, his brain immediately throwing him into a made-up dream world. For the first time since having this illness, his dreams were actually pleasant. Not only did he see –

He was ripped out of the blissful trance by the sharp _click _of a door opening: Rouge was finally back, it seems. "Shadow?" Said hedgehog groaned irritably as he recognized the voice, after realizing it was someone much, _much_ worse than Rouge. "Shads? You awake?" the voice whispered, after contemplating that Shadow may have been asleep. Well, too late, he was already awake.

"Faker, what are _you _doing here?" Shadow hissed, hoping he could get the other to leave. Like _right now_. His headache was already big enough; he didn't need Sonic to aggravate him further. Though, from years of experience of dealing with the other, he knew that it'd be harder to get rid of him. Opening ruby eyes, which had remained closed as Sonic called to him, Shadow peered as the other placed a bag onto Rouge's living room table.

As he took out all the contents, one-by-one, Sonic explained, "Rouge asked me to bring you these supplies; she was going to bring them herself, but apparently the G.U.N. commander called her up for a mission or something like that."

Rolling his eyes, Shadow silently cursed, wishing that that stupid commander was here so he could actually yell at him. Why did Rouge have to take on a mission now? And, more importantly, why'd he now have to deal with Faker? "Why did Rouge go to you exactly?" the black hedgehog asked coldly, casting a brief, one-second reproachful glance at Sonic.

Although he noticed the glare and the disdainful tone in Shadow's voice, Sonic was not the least bit affected, having grown used to Shadow's outward attitude towards him. "Well, she tried getting a hold of Amy, but she was busy. So she then asked me, and I was completely fine with it, although I almost didn't believe her when she first told me that you were sick. Since when could that happen?" Narrowing his eyes at the other's slightly-amused tone – or what he perceived as such – Shadow now desired his departure even more.

Turning his back on him, Shadow abruptly answered, "I don't want to talk about it. Now, you did what you were supposed to do, so _leave_." Stubbornly refraining himself from turning around till he heard the other leave, Shadow remained in his position, his ears picking up shuffling from behind him, the noise becoming more distant. Believing the other to have left, Shadow relaxed, about to turn around to pick up the bottle Sonic took out. Before he could, he sensed more footsteps approaching him. He couldn't help but snap. "I said to leave, Faker! Or are you that hard of hearing that you didn't hear me?"

Sonic sighed defeatedly, rolling his eyes; he would normally partake in this currently one-sided banter, but he figured it'd be best if he didn't rile Shadow up more than need be. Before giving in to Shadow's wishes and making his way over to the door, he set something down onto the table. Before he could reach for the doorknob, Shadow's voice stopped him. "What is this?" the black hedgehog questioned him, referring to the small scrap of paper Sonic left next to the house phone on the table besides him.

"Tails' number," Sonic answered promptly. "Call it whenever you need anything; I'm happy to help you out, Shads." For a few moments, the two hedgehogs were caught in a stare-down, red eyes scoffing while green ones wore an unreadable expression. During which, Shadow couldn't help but wonder whether he should yell at the other for calling him "Shads." Before he had a chance, Sonic quickly added, "Also, just so you know, Rouge wasn't sure how long the mission would last. Anywhere from a day to a week, she told me."

Still, the black hedgehog didn't speak. Sonic's face slightly fell at the nonresponse, his eyes looking away from Shadow as he sighed again. "I meant what I said, Shadow; I'll be happy to help you in any way I can. Anyways, I hope you get better soon." With that, he opened the door and stepped out.

"Remember to put the key behind the plant!" Shadow yelled, his voice regaining some of its strength, as it actually didn't crack this time. He wasn't sure if Sonic had heard him, but Shadow had a feeling that he did. Either way, it might be better if he just held onto the key, if Rouge doesn't finish her mission soon. _And if that's the case,_ Shadow supposed, _than Sonic is certainly better than no one, I guess._

* * *

><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>I have nothing to say, but if you do, you know where to click. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will join me later today for the next one!

**Response To Responses:**

_Ethempat: _Well, at least you're here now. Later is always better than never, after all. As for the shorter chapters, tis what happens when one is on a time limit. In regards to the characters, I usually think through a chapter before publishing it to make sure that they are in-character. Anyhow, thank you! I hope to hear your opinion on this chapter as well.

_ShinyShiny9: _Snowball Fight – That's just how the story came out; I didn't exactly plan for it or any of these chapters to end up the way they did. They just do. List – Well, my thought process when creating this chapter was that she would think Rouge was a kid due to the massive difference in their heights. When someone is shorter, especially by that much, people normally think that person's younger. Besides, she's crazy and wasn't really paying attention to the rest of Rouge's features. That's about all the explanation I got for you.

_Twin-books:_ I will give you the first one, but the second with ellipses is merely a stylish choice. While some prefer this (…), I prefer this (. . .). However, both are acceptable; what you see in literary works depends on the author's personal preference. There is no set rule for it. So I believe it is now 3 to 3, but I digress. Thank you; it's good to know I've passed your expectations. Hopefully, this chapter does as well.

_ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: _It's the first time for this story, at least, but thank you, regardless. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter as well.


	20. Toys

**Toys**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Sonic and Amy

* * *

><p>Sonic doesn't know everything about Amy.<p>

A few days ago, he might have thought he did; he might have figured her life revolved all around him, their friends, him, shopping, him, red hammers, and – of course – him. However selfish it might seem, that was the primary way his mind depicted her, no matter the situation. She was just the over-obsessed girl who just so happened to be attracted to him – even if she was his friend. It was an image she just couldn't shake herself out of, at this point.

At least until a few days ago on a chilly, December afternoon.

As per usual, Sonic was out on a brief run before helping out Tails with one of his projects down in the workshop. Since these test runs normally take forever to complete, he figured he should just satisfy his hunger now, though – due to his extreme metabolism – his black hole of a stomach will be crying throughout the test regardless. As he scarfed down the last one the vender had served him – for free, as thanks for saving the city – he noticed a familiar pink figure strolling across the street, sporting a dark purple winter coat over her usual attire.

_Must've been shopping, _Sonic thought, noting the overloaded plastic bags adorning her arms. For a brief moment, Sonic was caught between his options: should he go greet her and risk being glomped to death or should he just stay here and pretend she never walked by? She hadn't noticed him yet, so the second option was perfectly viable. A second later, as Amy nearly tripped due to having to carry all the bags, his decision was made. After all, she was still his friend, regardless of her infatuation with him.

After finishing the last bite of his chili dog, he dashed across the street, skillfully weaving between the lines of cars. As he stepped onto the sidewalk on the other side, on Amy's side, he caught a few amused onlookers sending him glances that told him two things: (1) that was crazy and (2) that was _awesome_! Cheekily grinning in response, he jogged up the sidewalk, accelerating at a moderate pace, one so mild that so no one's skirts flew. He could show _some_ restraint.

About a foot behind his friend, Sonic slowed down to a walking pace, matching hers step for step, even though it nearly killed him to do so. "Hey, Amy!" he greeted cheerfully as he caught up to her side. Having not noticing him beforehand, she jumped, startled at his sudden appearance. _You'd think everyone would be used to that by now. _Now that he was closer, he could tell that she was struggling with the bags, so – continuing in a polite manner – he asked, "Also, would you like me to help with those?"

Not missing a beat, she answered in a relieved sigh as she handed half the bags to him – which was still quite an amount to be carrying – uttering a grateful, "Thanks for the help!"

"No problem, Ames. So, what's in all these anyway?" Sonic half-heartedly inquired as he sneaked a one-second glance inside a bag; he could see a lot of brightly-wrapped presents with no visible name tags on any. _Hm, that's strange. We didn't decide to give everyone random gifts at the party this year . . . but, then, what are all these for?_

Amy wasted no time answering, her voice swelling with cheerfulness and a dash of pride. "These are presents for the children at the Station Square Children's Hospital, like toys and other things kids like. Cream helped me pick them out, so now I'm heading towards to the hospital to pass them out." Abruptly forcing himself out of his thoughts, Sonic instinctively whisked an astounded look her way, his mouth forming an O-shape as understanding – as well as surprise – hit him. Especially the latter. _If Cream knew about this, how did I not know about it?_

"That's really nice of you, Amy. Do you give them presents every year?" She nonchalantly shrugged, but Sonic easily caught her sheepish smile.

"Well, this is only the second year I've done this, so I don't think you could count this as 'every year'," Amy laughed. "But it is really fun, seeing their faces light up as they show off all their presents and what-not. It really just makes me glad that I can do something to make it better for them, you know?" As she looked over to him for confirmation, he nodded agreeably; he knew how she felt. That's why whenever he spots someone in distress – no matter where they are or what time it is – he makes sure to aid them in whatever way he can. To know that he improved someone's life by just _a little _bit . . . it was amazing feeling, and he was not surprised Amy felt the same way.

"Maybe you'd like to come with me and give the kids the presents? I'm sure they would love to meet you, Sonic," she added, sliding him a guarded glance that seemed to be trying too hard to not look hopeful. To the blue hedgehog, it seemed that she wanted to say more, something along the lines of _'__**I**__ would love for you to come.' _

The way she worded her question slightly surprised Sonic; normally, she would beg him endlessly to go with her to wherever place she had planned, but this time she didn't; she obviously still wanted him to go, as evidenced by the pleading gleam in her eyes. Yet, she didn't voice her desire, instead allowing him the space he needs and the time to make his own decision, rather than her make it for him. _She really is maturing, so maybe I should give her chance._

Still, he has to consider the testing that Tails had asked him to help with; the fox had wanted him to return within an hour. Surely, though, he'd understand if Sonic told him why he didn't come back in time if this takes that long? Yeah, he would; besides, it'll be fun to meet all the children and spend a little more time with Amy. Catching Amy's gaze, he enthusiastically replied, "Sure, I'd love to!"

* * *

><p><strong>Smokestep:<strong> Sorry everyone for this extremely late chapter, though you're all probably used to it by now. My internet wouldn't work for a majority of last night, but I got it fixing this morning. And I'm thinking it won't cut out again, but if it does, then, oh well. I'll fix it again then.

Also, _important question_; do you prefer the shorter chapters (600 – 800 words) or the longer chapters (800 words)? I know I've been writing more chapters with the latter amount, and wonder if that's what most people would want, so I would really like it if you could tell me which you prefer. FYI, I'm just talking about the actual chapter, pretty much everything above that line above this note. I can't control how long anything from here onwards is.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you have anything to say, you know where to click. Your input is always appreciated. Anyways, see you all later for the next chapter.

**Responses To Reviews:**

_Karts of Sugar Rush: _I really would like to know exactly what Gerald Robotnik was thinking when he created Shadow. I mean, where does someone get the idea of curing someone by using someone else? In addition, how would it work? Would he, like, use Shadow's DNA or something . . . ? I don't know, Gerald's odd. Either way, I don't think he actually perfected Shadow, so while Shadow can't cure others, I'd imagine he'd have a _really_ good immune system. As for the prompt being in the story in the first place, yeah, you certainly wouldn't see it in most of these kind of fics, but I got the idea and wanted to write it, so I did. Anyhow, thank you.

_ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: _How'd it happen, you ask. Er, plot device? Video game logic, maybe? Take your pick; surely, it's one of the two.

_Twin-books: _I just had the idea in my head, and wanted to write it, so – regardless of how nonsensical it is – I did. Anyway, as for that sentence ("He was definitely going to give a piece of his mind when she returned."), the way I wrote it was fine, but it would definitely be better if I did add 'Rouge' or 'she' before "a piece." I already edited it, so there you go. Anyhow, thank you for the sweet comments.


	21. North Pole

**North Pole**

**Disclaimer: **I don't any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Sonic

He had always wanted to visit every place in the world, had always wanted to explore the uncharted territories – each crack and crevice – of the unknown. From anything as high as the tallest mountain range to everything as low as the bottom of the sea, or however close to the water he could bear to get. He wanted to see it all, experience all the sights and sounds that this world had to offer. He wanted to mingle with the unique individuals occupying the place, and get to know them and their culture on a deeper level.

He wanted to have the simple gratification of saying that he had done it.

After five years of living his current lifestyle, you might think Sonic has accomplished all this and more, whatnot with all the traveling he did. Yet, despite his own desire to do so, he finds himself unable to confirm this position whenever he's hit with the statement, "I bet you've been everywhere on the entire planet. I mean, there's no way you haven't yet, right?"

In these situations, he'd just bite back the not-so-small part of him that wanted to agree, settling instead for a much less enthusiastic, "No. No, I haven't. Working on it, though." As much as it pained him to be reminded of this incompletion, he always admitted to it; besides, it wasn't exactly a failure, per se. It just meant that he had a goal to work towards.

Still – even after coming to terms with how much more he had to do before he could rightfully claim his trophy for traveling the entire world – it didn't get any easier to admit that – currently – he fell below his own standards, the expectations he held for himself. In his present place, the pedestal on which he currently stood, he had yet risen to meet such benchmarks.

And hearing this exact conviction coming out of _someone else's_ mouth embarrassed him even further. "What are you idiots talking about? There's no way he's been everywhere!" At the little, five-year-old girl's exclamation, Sonic couldn't help but turn his face away from the small group of children, facepalming in humiliation. He was literally just dissed by a little girl three times younger than him. It didn't matter that she was right. Matter of fact, it was worse that she was right; now, he can't defend himself. Well, he can try, but whatever feeble excuse he comes up with to counter that won't really help his position.

Apparently, however, the girl wasn't done. "If that was the case, then he'd have met Santa Claus and all his elves and reindeer!" Sonic wasn't following, evident from his dumbfounded expression as he tilted his head to the side, urging the girl to go on. "What? Are you serious that you've never heard of the North Pole?!" Immediately, Sonic reassured her that he knew what the North Pole was, at which the girl cockily responded with, "Well, it still doesn't matter whether you know what the place is or not; you'll never get there."

"And why is that? If I look hard enough, I'll find it eventually," the blue hedgehog answered, narrowing his eyes questioningly as he wondered what exactly she was getting at here.

Eyes sparkling in childlike naivety, the girl elaborated further. "Santa doesn't let anyone see where it is. He hides it, so no one bad finds it and ruins Christmas." Raising his eyebrows in amusement, Sonic grunted in understanding, unable to stop the smile spreading across his face as all his energy was diverted to fight back the laughter climbing up his throat. Oh, what would he ever do without children for entertainment? "So that means you'll never be able to find it. And if you can't find it, you'll never be able to say you've been everywhere in the world."

Soon after that, Sonic departed, directing a cheerful farewell to the kids as he left. Before he was out of earshot, he turned back around, his eyes focused on that girl, and sincerely promised that he'd find the North Pole and come back to tell them all about it. All about Santa, his elves, _and _his reindeer. After that statement, they were all but shoving him away, urging him to go find it right away.

Laughing, Sonic made his true departure, a warm feeling swelling in his heart. He knew he'd never make good on that promise, so why'd he make it? He'd never be able to find the North Pole, never be able to find someplace that doesn't exist. All in all, Sonic supposed that the little girl was, in a way, correct; he'll never be able to truly go everywhere in the world.

However, that doesn't mean he can't try. After all, sometimes the journey to your destination is more important than the destination itself.

**Smokestep: **All right, so a majority of those who responded to the question yesterday had answered that they prefer longer chapters, so if I find that a chapter's a little on the long side, I won't bother trying to shorten it. As such, I'll make each chapter as long as is necessary for that specific chapter.

Also, for anyone who was wondering, the reason there are no horizontal lines for separation in this chapter, apparently Doc Manager has had an update, and even though the option is there, it's not actually inserting a line. If anyone knows how to fix this, please tell me. After using the lines for so long - for every single story I've published - this chapter looks so weird without them.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you have anything to say about it, you know where to click! I'll see you all for the next chapter.

**Responses To Reviews:**

_ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: _"Quantity over quality." I think you switched those on accident. Anyhow, thanks for your nice comments, as well as your thoughts on the length of the chapters.

_Christian Ape99: _By Christmas special, do you mean a completely separate story from this one, or a prompt in this one? If you mean the latter, I'm thinking no, because I already have all the next prompts thought out and with what they are, I wouldn't be able to do those characters justice. Especially since I've never written for Sleet and Dingo before.

_Karts of Sugar Rush: _It's funny that you mention that prompt; tree is going to be the next chapter. I already had it planned out, but I'll try to see if I can fit Big in there somewhere. Anyhow, thank you so much for your input.

_ShinyShiny9: _Poor Amy. No one ever focuses on the parts of her personality that _don't _revolve around Sonic. But I suppose that's why we're here.

_Twin-books: _Well, to be fair, a majority of the stories I have on my account were written about three years ago, I think. So I would hope that my writing's improved since then. Yeah, we don't really see Sonic surprised all that often, do we? Anyhow, thanks for your input, regardless of whether you think it's sweet or not. Also *they're ("I don't think there that . . ."). Sorry, couldn't resist.


	22. Tree

**Tree**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in the story.

**Character(s): **Tails

"Lights – check! Decorations – check! Food and Christmas tree – not yet."

Marking up a bold check mark in the empty boxes of the first two, Tails strolled into the kitchen, briefly lifting his eyes to do a quick assessment of how everything was coming along. From the roast to the cookies, and everything in between; it all had to look good, taste good, and _be_ good enough to not utterly disappoint everyone. That last goal was almost a lost cause at this point, however; they've all been spoiled on Amy and Vanilla's cooking for too long.

At least they gave Tails some of their recipes. Even still, Tails couldn't stop doubting the end result of what would come out of the oven in around thirty minutes. He may have an outline to follow, but that doesn't mean he'll be able to actually make the food. Maybe if the directions were written in the format of a blueprint, but not like this. Not with his lack of knowledge and experience. Especially not with the bar being so high; when everyone walked through that door, they would be expecting food of the utmost quality, each item with a unique, delectable taste that made everyone's mouths water uncontrollably and got everyone to demand seconds, thirds, fourths, and hundredths. That food was good enough that Charmy could actually clean off his entire plate without any external influences (read: threat to ground him from the TV or the consequence of no dessert), which was quite a notable accomplishment, according to the rest of the Chaotix.

How was he supposed to match that? He was a mechanic, not a celebrity chef. The only reason he offered to cook was because he figured that Amy and Vanilla could use a break from always preparing all the food at all their get-togethers; this year would be the first anyone other than those two made all the food. Even when they weren't hosting the party at their humble abodes, they would still pitch in for the dinner and whatnot.

Well, every year besides this one, and boy, was Tails an idiot for saying anything.

Even though it should be obvious to everyone, he never figured that cooking this feast would be that painstakingly difficult. He's learned since then; he's matured in the span of these past few days enough to appreciate all the hard work that goes into this dinner. All in all, it's probably a good thing he's taking up the job this year. Amy and Vanilla have had to do this year after year; after going through all this trouble, Tails more than understands that they deserve a break.

However, that reconciliation still didn't stop him from wishing that he could turn back time, so he could tell his past self to not be so nice.

Oh, well. What's done is done. Besides, everything will look better after all the food is finished and he could reassure himself that he wasn't a complete excuse of a cook. And after he completed all the food, he was practically done with all the party preparations, since this was the last, remaining task on his to-do list! Well, finishing up the tree decorating was still incomplete, but that wouldn't be too hard to finalize, as all he had left to do was to hang the last, few remaining ornaments and tip off the tree with a star.

And he wouldn't even have to do it. A little while ago, Big (and, of course, Froggy) had stopped by, for no real reason, it seems. Or no reason he could tell Tails, at the very least. But since the purple cat had wanted to stay, Tails had assigned him the mission of finishing up the last Christmas tree decorations, a chore that should be nearly finished, if not fully completed, by now.

At the sound of a domino line of crashing objects, the countless noises mixing to form a crescendo, Tails threw this belief away almost as soon as he realized it. His feet flying, Tails raced out of the kitchen, the first sight meeting his eyes causing him to face palm. Everywhere on the living room floor, there were ornaments of various shapes and sizes, a few tree branches scattered here in there, and a giant tied-up cat at the center of the chaos, obliviously lying next to the collapsed Christmas tree as he tried futilely to escape the makeshift rope of Christmas tree lights.

"Big, what were you doing?" Even though it'd be fitting for the situation, Tails couldn't so much bring out an angry tone into his voice as he could slight exasperation; he was used to the cat's clumsiness by now, so it didn't bother him as much. Besides, it was his own fault for allowing Big to help; Tails originally wanted to turn him away – afraid of this exact thing happening – but the cat was so _insistent_ about staying here for a little while.

For a few seconds, the two Mobians couldn't do anything but stare at each other, Big densely tilting his head before smartly answering with a surprisingly not-so-vague response. "Froggy was trying to put the star on the tree, but then it fell down," he explained, gesturing with his eyes over to the frog, who still held the gold star in his mouth. Oh, the poor star, one of many to fall victim to Froggy's mouth.

Sighing, Tails helped Big get untangled from the lights. As the cat sat back up, Tails shook his head, surveying the damage to his living room. Right now, the floor wasn't really visible, but a little bit of sweeping and vacuuming would take care of that. That's what the fox told himself at least, as he tried to not explode in Big's face; this place was a mess! They might not even be able to get it all cleaned up in time, Tails thought, pondering over whether he should let someone else host the party. Although the temptation of calling Amy was almost too much, he decided against it. _It's just a minor setback; we'll be able to clean it up in time. It'll be fine. Besides, just think about how fantastic this place will look once we're done cleaning. It'll be worth it, surely._

**Smokestep: **Oh, it started out so well, and then I actually had to include something about the actual prompt in there. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If you have anything to say, you know where to click!

**Responses To Reviews:**

_ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: _No offense taken, so no need to apologize. Either way, thank you.

_Karts of Sugar Rush: _Well, I don't think anyone _other_ than Sonic would actually have the time or the skills needed to track down the North Pole and Santa in the first place. Anyhow, I'm not sure what you had in mind with Big, but this was the best I could do to fit him in. Hopefully, you like it.

_Twin-books: _So I pretty much insulted myself for nothing. Gotcha. And I would still technically be right; if you've never read anything else I've written, then this has to be your favorite story of mine. As for the world where "North Pole" takes place, it takes place anywhere where Sonic doesn't believe the North Pole exists. Anyhow, thank you for your input.


	23. Party

**Party**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Shadow and Rouge

Shadow hasn't yet had a taste of his Mistletoe Martini.

He hadn't really the desire to do so, either – the pungent aroma of cheap wines and beers alike had so deep an intricate imprint in the bearings known as Club Rouge, it made his insides flip with a sickening disgust and a zealous desire to not lower himself down to the grave level the other patrons had willingly set. Literally. The more intoxicated their appearance seemed, the more similarities they happened to share with their comrades of the six-feet-deep brigade.

No, he was more than a match for the standards established, the status quo where everyone bows down to puissant alcoholic beverages without so much as a second glance. It was an easy battle and victory, and one he had to fight each time he visited this establishment.

The reason he was here yet again was – unsurprisingly – the club's namesake: Rouge. She had told him via communicator she had news for him from G.U.N. Now, he was here . . . still waiting . . . and still thinking.

The exact opposite of activity to do here, and with the perfect remedy sitting right in front of him, no less. Still, Shadow refused to drink a drop; the closest distance he allowed himself was the rim of the glass as his fingers absentmindedly twiddled with the fake, decorative plant the brew was named for.

There had been no underlining reason or motive to purchase the drink – unless you count a hundred percent discount, since he knew the owner of the place – but it was a one-day specialty drink only offered this day of December. It was a somewhat-original twist on usual Christmas-special bar offerings, an idea proposed by a few of Rouge's employees.

Despite its limited edition status, Shadow felt no desire to even take one sip of the drink. Not to say that Shadow dislikes alcohol, but rather he has no particular interest with it (he just got it because the bar tender wouldn't stop insisting he buy it, and ultimately he concluded that there was no reason _not _to get it). For him, there was also no use for it, really. It dims the senses, the mind, and – depending on the person – can raise you up ten levels over the Crazy Eudiometer's highest reading.

And now, he needed his mind to be as crisp and clear as it could possibly be; apparently, G.U.N. had needed both he and Rouge for yet _another _mission, even though the commander stated that their last one would be indeed their last of the holiday season.

Oh, well, it wasn't as if he had plans anyway.

Unless you consider the Christmas party that Faker invited him to to be a plan, even though Shadow didn't plan on being present; despite the fact that he had gotten closer to Faker and Rouge's other friends, he didn't always want to be around them. Matter of fact, the last few times he'd been with them hadn't actually been too bad; dare he say it, he found their company to be enjoyable, or – at the _very_ least – they didn't get on his nerves as much as usual. Still, that didn't mean he wanted to go to their party.

All in all, there was just no benefit to him going, so he wouldn't. Simple as that.

Even if he wanted to go, the scheduled date for the party was tomorrow, and most of his and Rouge's missions last for multiple days, so there was almost no chance he'd even be free to go. If only the albino bat would actually show up, so they could start already. _For that matter,_ _why didn't she just tell me over the communicator?_ Shadow wondered as he checked said device to see if she had tried contacting him over it. _Nope. _The black hedgehog sighed exasperatedly. "Just how long am I going to be waiting?" he asked, directing the question to no one in particular.

"If you developed a little bit of patience, not too long," a familiar voice spoke from behind him. _Finally_. "So how's the drink?" Rouge questioned him as she took the seat on his right.

Scooting his glass over to her, he answered, "Wouldn't know; haven't tried it. You tell me." Rouge rolled her eyes and shrugged, used to his curt mannerisms. As she drank it, her companion eyed the wrapped package and envelope she set on the counter. The former seemed to be a medium-sized box, with dark red wrapping paper decorating the exterior, topped off with a black bow; casting a second glance at the parcel's ribbon, Shadow noticed that there happened to be a small note attached. Altogether, the bundle suspiciously appeared all too alike a Christmas gift, a notion backed up by the holiday-themed envelope. He swiftly caught on to the fact that these were – in no way – a gift from Rouge, and had to be the containers for their mission details; still, he couldn't help questioning the commander's motivations with the Christmas getup. "Are the contents of our mission in there?"

"Nope. There's no mission." Even though it would seem – to nearly everyone else – that Shadow remained as passive and disinterested as ever, Rouge was sure she spotted a gleam of confusion sparking in his crimson irises, as well as a slightly- aggressive glint (at the news of her sneaky deception), at the revelation. So she elaborated further: "I made the mission up, so you could meet me here. Someone wanted me this to deliver to you, because he figured you wouldn't take it from him." With that, she handed him both the package and envelope, and finished up the rest of the Mistletoe Martini.

Shadow didn't need to look further than the top of the envelope to figure out the sender. "Why'd he send me this?" he inquired, his voice taking on a guardedly-curious tone. Rouge simply shrugged.

"Said that he wouldn't be able to give it to you, since you said you're not going to the party tomorrow, but he wanted you to have it regardless," she answered promptly, standing up. "Even still, Shadow, maybe you should reconsider. You had fun at the party last year, and probably would this time as well." She turned to leave, but Shadow's indignant protest halted her in her tracks.

"I didn't have fun," he denied in a matter-of-fact voice; though his tone remained calm, and his voice at an indoor volume, his eyes sent a completely different message. Furiously glaring, he challenged the bat to push this idea any further. Which she did.

"Sure you didn't," she replied teasingly, not at all daunted by the livid gaze set upon her as she once again turned away. "Besides, don't you think you should return the favor and give him a present? Oh, and you can't forget about yours truly." Shadow remained silent, rolling his eyes; he would not be guilt-tripped into this. "Anyhow, I'd best be going. I'll see you tomorrow, Shadow; remember to bring the presents." With a backhand wave, Rouge made her departure, sauntering her way through the drunken patrons.

When she was out of earshot, Shadow muttered begrudgingly under his breath, "I still didn't have fun." Shaking his head, he firmly fixed that thought into his head. That image disappeared as soon as he rested his eyes on the present – for _him_. _I will not be guilt-tripped into this_, Shadow repeated to himself, as he attempted to convince himself that it was true. Like most things, it's easier said than done.

Tearing open the envelope and reading its contents didn't help much; inside was a card, which thankfully was absent of any of those cheesy sayings and didn't have that obnoxious of a design, especially considering the two main colors were his two favorite: red and black. All in all, it seemed the card was specifically chosen for him. _He actually wasted his time picking out a card I would like, _Shadow realized with a start.

The inside of the card was even more thoughtful, as it contained a hand-written message, one that was surprisingly heartfelt and considerate. Right then – before even opening the gift – the black hedgehog knew two things. 1) He was going to be guilt-tripped into attending this party and 2) _Faker __**planned**__ for that to happen_!

**Smokestep: **So, this one has a slightly more mature atmosphere, as you could tell. It was one of the only chapters that made me rate this story as a T. Regardless, I hope it was a good read for you.

Also, I'm contemplating whether I should wait until _after _Christmas to release the 25th chapter. On the actual day, everyone will be celebrating with their families and whatnot, so maybe I should wait until after everyone's done celebrating. I don't know. What do you all think? Would it be more convenient for you if I did this way?

Anyhow, if you have anything to say, you know where to click! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will join me for the next one.

**Responses To Reviews:**

_Twin-books: _To be completely honest, I'm nearly Christmas-ed out. Seriously, after the 25th, I'll never be able to write another Christmas prompt ever again. But I'm sort of looking forward to the actual holiday; it's just that the people that my mother and I are going to visit . . . well, tension's running high. We're still family, but we're not really as close as before. I hope you enjoy your Christmas! Thank you for your continued support; it means a lot to me!


	24. Family

**Family**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Um . . . everyone?

They were all here, gathered together among the closeness and unity of the season. Beyond the gifts, the food, the games, there was something more; there were ties none had ever dreamed of forming, now ties they would never dream of giving up. Ties that they could only _truly_ appreciate in times like these, during which all bonds feel tighter, more secure, regardless of how the relationship's nurturers were linked.

By blood, by fate, by pure coincidence . . . these practicalities didn't matter. All that _did_ matter, now, was that these bonds existed, and thrived, and _flourished_ throughout the year, each encounter leading up to this moment – this meeting that strengthened them tenfold. One might think such a close-knit group could only be possible through your blood relations, but some connections are more important. Special moments, shared smiles, and a comfortable silence that fit perfectly between the gaps and turned a conversation into more than what it could be . . . these little moments could completely capture a person's heart.

On the contrary, possessing the knowledge of just simply the sharing of the same blood might bind two individuals, but it wouldn't make them feel _close_, one and the same. It's the phenomenon that makes close friends feel closer than brothers, and actual brothers feel more distant than enemies. It's the phenomenon that breeds relationships otherwise impossible, and formed connections that just _made sense. _

Actually, no; this was about more than just making sense. This was about it_ feeling right._ And sometimes, it just does.

Especially when fate threw the two individuals together so nicely, as if the two had been made for this relationship to blossom from the leaf-green buds of destiny. From the flowers of which the two would find their rightful place, and the true sense of belonging that would accompany it.

And there was no other time in which they could say they felt they belonged more than they did right now. Just like the pieces of jigsaw puzzle, they all fit in their proper place; and – of course – it wasn't because of any blood-relations.

_Sonic had been all alone until he had met Tails, a kit much like him, the two brought together due to their shared loss of family._

_Knuckles had been the last echidna on the planet, his guardian status deeming him incapable of close relationships, until he was begged down from his island to spend a little time on the surface for the holidays._

_After meeting them, Amy had been quick to spend her Christmas with them – rather than her birth family – as well as the little rabbit family that had welcomed her._

_Cream and Vanilla had had no complaints when taking them all in, their small family finally feeling more whole than it had in previous years._

_Shadow had lost the only friend he had known, until Rouge – through her backwards methods – showed him a compassion and understanding he would never had expected._

_Rouge had been independent, free to do as she pleased and preferred to do everything on her own, until Shadow had shown himself to be a companion she wanted to travel with. _

_Then they met Omega, who had been welcomed by the other two with open arms, in which their duo had transformed into a trio, this connection just as strong as before._

_Team Chaotix had all been wandering, struggling to find their place, until they met each other and everything just clicked._

They had all been brought together by more than just blood, but it didn't make the slightest difference to them. Regardless of how they came to be, they were each other's true family, through thick and thin, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

**Smokestep: **I hope you all had as much a blast reading as I did while writing! If you have anything to say, you know where to click! I appreciate each and every review, whether it be full of praise or constructive criticism. Anyways, I'll see you all for the last chapter.

**Responses To Review:**

_Twin-books: _The mistakes have been edited; thanks for pointing them out. I will try to post the chapter before the day is over, but we'll have to see if the pendulum swings in my favor or not. Anyhow, thank you; I'm honored that this story is the highlight of your day, and I hope that these last few chapters don't disappoint.


	25. Light

**Light**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters in this story.

**Character(s): **Sonic

A few birds had perched on the thin tree branch with him, their cheerful chirps ringing out across the land, echoing as their high-pitched jingles bounced off the trees. The joyous calls woke the others from out of their homes, the various woodland creatures taking the morning cue as a sign to start their day. It sent the squirrels scurrying among the treetops, birds shooting off through the forest low to the floor as they meticulously searched for food for their offspring, and frogs flocking through the marshy undergrowth lining temporary ponds formed by the recent influx of rain.

The sun hadn't even risen yet.

It would be soon, though, as Sonic already knew; he had spent countless days here, had woken up early countless days just to _be_ here. This was among the best places to witness the sunrise; here, nature engulfed him in all its glory, a scene so peaceful and picturesque that Sonic wonders why people don't take the time to enjoy it. We spend so little time on this planet; might as well make the most of it by seeing everything this world had to offer.

Restlessly bouncing on his perch, his eyes impatiently raised to the infinite darkness above him. Only a few stars dotted it, the remaining ones beginning to fade away, as if they were preparing the sky to make its transition from this blinding obscurity. It was the kind of sightlessness that left Sonic to stumble around as his eyes strained to see anything beyond two feet in front of him. At this point, one couldn't even begin to point out his still form, seated among the highest branches of the tallest trees; only his gleaming eyes could be spotted, the emerald irises full of excitement as he waited for dawn to streak the sky with its welcoming rays.

They said it's always darkest before dawn.

Soon, after this enveloping darkness dissipated and gave way to a light deep enough to warm the coolest of hearts, a genial hospitality would welcome the new day in, as the sun perked up, raising above its oceanic confines. Its rays bounced up from beneath the water, the light threatening to escape the sea's clutches as it greeted the world above it. Then, as the day neared its end, it would readily return back to this resting place as it yielded its rule back to the sky's other head: the moon. At once, it would take its temporary perch among the sky, watching over the world with a serene grace not too unlike the sun's tender generosity.

And this cycle would continue; just as easily as day follows night, night follows day. For months upon months, and years upon years. And, with a start as the sky promptly lit up, overflowing with the morning sunshine that fought its way through the branches as its light pooled over every inch of the forest, Sonic realized something. Something he hadn't given much thought to, not as much as he should have, at least.

Another year was over. Three-hundred sixty-five days gone, just like that.

As he recalled the previous year, thinking back to all that occurred as the divides between the days and nights blurred in his mind, Sonic smiled warmly. At all that he and his friends had seen, done, and accomplished; he wasn't one to dwell on the past, but he had to admit that this last year was – no doubt – _amazing_. There were so many things he had learned and experienced, incidents he would gladly relive. However, even though this self-recollection was a fun trip down memory lane, he _still _wasn't one to dwell on the past.

Another year was over, _but_ a new one waiting right around the corner.

Even if he has learned and experienced so much in this previous year, there was still _so much more_ to learn and experience in this next one, and Sonic refused to just sit around and lazily watch as time passed him by. He never was a watcher; he was a do-er. Whatever hardships he must overcome, or whatever miracles he is blessed with, he always had faced whatever life threw his way with a smile. So – as soon as the sun made its official entrance into the sky, and brought the new day along with it – that's what he'd do now.

Life always does – and always will – move on; regardless of what we say, do, and think, it will never wait up. Just as the world will always turn, the clock will always tick. And unless one has the power of time travel, it will never stop ticking. The snow will soon melt, the buds of spring soon to follow. From there, they will bloom in summer, only to wither in autumn and be buried in winter. We can't stop this cycle in the small amount of time we have on this planet. The best we can do is make the most of what we have, and how one spends their time rests on only one decision.

Either you watch life as it passes you by, or you participate in the chase.

**Smokestep:** In retrospect, I suppose it's a good thing that this went up after Christmas, even if this series should've been finished before then. The timing fits this prompt more, I would say, then it would if I had published this yesterday. Also, I know Light isn't exactly a "Christmas" theme; however, it was the most fitting theme for this prompt I could think of. Anyhow, I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas, Hanukah or Kwanza, etc. Whatever you celebrate, hopefully it was fun.

So, since this is the last chapter, I want to thank everyone for joining me, and sticking with me through all this. I hope that you enjoyed this story and found it to not be a waste of time. Anyhow, I hope this isn't too much to ask, but I would really appreciate it if you all could give me your overall opinions of this entire story as a whole. I would also like if you could tell me what your favorite and least favorite chapters were, and give me the reasons why. You don't have to, but it would mean a lot to me if you did. Thanks in advance!

Anyhow, glad to have you all here along for the ride (as well as any others who will read this in the future)! Thanks for all the favorites, alerts, and kind reviews. For those who will join me in future stories, I have absolutely no clue when my next one will come out. I'm hoping soon, but who knows? Anyhow, I'm glad to have you here for my future endeavors. As for those who won't join me, hope you had fun while this lasted. Thanks to _everyone_, though, for reading through this story. See you all later!

**Response To Reviews:**

First, I just want to thank everyone that reviewed! I especially am grateful to those that continually supported me throughout this entire project; you all know who you are! Anyhow, here it goes; I want to thank _Christian Ape99_, _ShinyShiny9_, _The Dragon Legend, Twin-books, Katiemonz, EnderMagic979, Chelan, ABCSonicKirbyWarriors, Ethempat, _and _Karts of Sugar Rush_. Thank you all for making this project a lot more enjoyable to write, and sharing your thoughts on my writing with me! I really, _really_ appreciate it.

_ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: _No problem; I understand. After all, it is the holiday. You're welcome.

_Christian Ape99:_ Was it sweet enough for you?

_Karts of Sugar Rush: _Well, imagine the games if everyone did have biological parents; it seems that it would change the overall atmosphere of the games, and would completely counteract Tails' backstory. Besides, a part of the franchise's charm comes from the mystery of not knowing that much about the characters' past – barring Tails and (especially) Shadow.

_Twin-books: _Thank you so much. But I have to warn you about my other stories. They are . . . well, most of were written like two years ago. So they're not nearly as good as this one. If you decide to read them anyway, I hope you're not _severely_ disappointed.


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